Rejected Stones
by Full-Paragon
Summary: It was Mei Hatsume who told Izuku Midoriya that he could be a hero, with her help of course. Desperate to have someone believe in him, Izuku decides that to realize his dreams, he'll need to make himself into a hero with the help of this odd girl. Together, these people once rejected for not fitting the mold will find themselves becoming the foundations of hero society.
1. Found, Two Lost Children

_Now beta'd and edited by kylekatarn77_

_1\. Found, Two Lost Children_

_A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. _

_― __Amelia Earhart_

"Not without a quirk."

Those words echoed in Izuku's head as he stumbled home, his very world crumbling all around him. Words spoken to him by his childhood idol, the world's greatest hero, All Might. Izuku Midoriya was different, quirkless, and could never realize his dream of being a hero.

"You're just a quirkless freak. Go jump off a building."

The words of a former friend, of a peer Izuku admired and respected. Bakugo, who had always been stronger and better than Izuku. He'd spent years showing Izuku that with no quirk, he could never rise to Bakugo's level, could never achieve their shared dream of becoming heroes like All Might.

"Izuku, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

His mother had wept as she spoke those words to a young child in mourning, words that had been the first to try to shatter Izuku's desires.

He'd tried to ignore them all. He'd studied, he'd planned, he'd thought he'd done everything he could to emulate All Might, surrounding himself with memorabilia and imagery, hoping to become like the world's greatest hero.

And then, Izuku met All Might. He'd been saved from near certain death at the hands of a monstrous slime villain. Just as Izuku had always imagined, All Might had swooped in, and with a single blow, saved Izuku and reassured him with a smile. But then, Izuku had asked the fateful question.

"Can I be a hero? Even without a quirk?"

All Might had sighed. He'd shook his head. "I'm sorry. Not without a quirk." He'd said more after that, and part of Izuku knew All Might had been trying to save Izuku from the scars and pain All Might had gone through, to protect this quirkless boy. But that hadn't been what Izuku had heard. All he'd heard was the cacophony of his dreams shattering.

"I'm worthless," Izuku muttered, kicking at a dented can. It splashed through a puddle and clattered down the battered pavement of the alleyway, banging against a rusted dumpster. "I'm quirkless. How could I ever be a hero?"

"By helping me!" the dumpster said cheerfully.

"W-who are you?" Izuku stammered, nearly jumping out of his skin. "What are you saying?!"

"You can be a hero! Just help me and my baby out, I'm stuck!" the dumpster answered, it's voice echoing and distorted.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry?! Did your quirk turn you into a dumpster? Some people have transformation quirks and they can lose control, maybe I could call the police or-"

"No, just help me! I'm not the dumpster, I'm in the dumpster. I got stuck!"

"O-oh, OK, um, I'll try!" Izuku set his bag on the ground and lifted the lid off the dumpster, stretching to toss it off. Inside he found the smiling face of a girl wearing a pair of odd looking intricate goggles, her face coated in grim and most of her body buried in trash.

"Hi! I'm Mei Hatsume," the girl said. "I am looking for materials for my super cute babies! But, well, my newest baby seems to be malfunctioning. I think some trash got stuck in its servo joints, or the wiring got tangled. Ha! But that's OK, because you are going to help me!"

"Um, yeah, I think I can. W-what about your baby, um, is it ok?" Izuku asked, peering into the dumpster. "I don't see it."

"It's the Power Suit! I'm wearing it," Mei stated. "It's a mechanical exoskeleton designed to enhance the users strength! It's going to revolutionize the hero industry! I was going to use it to find some salvage to build even more super cute babies, but the Power Suit has seized up and now I can't move. That is amusing, because it should make moving easier!"

"Oh, um, ok. Maybe I should just call for help, you don't need a quirkless nobody making things worse," Izuku said, looking down.

"Don't be silly! You can help me, just dig me out! Please don't call the police, they always get mad when they have to get me out something and then my parents and Hari are angry and I don't get to make any cute babies for days, or even weeks! You said you wanted to be a hero, so be one!"

"I...yes! I can help!" Izuku clung to Mei's words like they were a lifeline, and began to recklessly toss rubbish out of the dumpster, slowly unburying Mei. After a minute or two, he managed to dig most of her torso out, revealing the upper part of her Power Suit. It was a rough metal frame with hydraulic joints, connected by bundles of haphazard wiring.

"You'll have to unbuckle the straps. They're under my armpits, so you'll have to reach under there to get me out," Mei told him.

"Um, t-that would mean I'd have to, you know, touch you," Izuku stammered.

"I know I am very dirty right now, but I would appreciate it if you would unbuckle me," Mei said. "I know some people don't like dirt, but you are already very dirty so I don't think this will make a difference."

"No, I mean, well, I'd have to touch your…" Izuku blushed looking away. Though Mei was dressed in sodden overalls and a grungy old t shirt, she was still obviously a growing young woman, and he didn't want her to think him lewd.

"It's fine, you can touch my baby, just as long as you don't hurt it," Mei told him. "You look like you know how to be gentle with machines, so I think I can trust you. Besides, this is the only way you'll get me out of here. You would be my hero if you helped me!"

Those were the magic words. Blushing furiously, Izuku dug his hands under Mei's arms and managed to find both the straps, unbuckling them. She then guided him through unbuckling two more straps on her arms, apparently unconcerned that a boy was so obviously touching her body. Once the last strap was undone, Mei started wriggling even before Izuku could move away, rubbing up against him. He jerked back, but she reached out and grabbed on to him.

"Pull me out," she ordered. "I need leverage!"

Reluctantly, Iuzku firmly gripped Mei and pulled, bracing his legs against the dumpster. After a few seconds of struggle, she suddenly shot out of the dumpster. Izuku cried out, falling back and landing hard on his rear, Mei tumbling on top of him.

"Ah ha!" Mei laughed, sitting up atop Izuku's chest. "You saved me! You really are a hero!"

"Y-you think s-so?" Izuku gasped.

Mei pressed herself down on Izuku, smiling broadly. He noticed for the first time that her hair was pink, underneath the layers of slime and grime they had acquired in the dumpster, and also how very close she was to him. If it wasn't for the smell and filth, he might have found it enticing. As it was, it was mostly just uncomfortable. "Of course! Heroes save people, and you saved me! Come on, now we have to save my baby!"

Mei stood up and started rummaging through the dumpster, trying to pull the exoskeleton out. Groaning, Izuku stood, then came over and helped Mei. Together, they managed to haul out the Power Suit, despite its being coated in slime.

"Hmm, hold on, I have a can of grease. See if you can find any breaks in the wiring," Mei told Izuku, bending to begin ministering to her creation.

"Um, I don't really-" Izuku protested, but Mei handed him a pair of pliers.

"Just reconnect them, that should do the trick!"

Izuku ended up finding several places where the wires had become frayed or loose, either from Mei's initial scramble into the dumpster or from their struggles to free her. He dutifully reconnected them, careful to match the colors of the outer coating correctly. He had built circuits a few times in school for science class, and Izuku had been good enough at it, though he'd never really found it interesting before.

"So, um, you said this is a support item for heroes?" Izuku asked, feeling awkward working so close to a stranger. Mei hadn't said much, just humming tunelessly to herself as she worked.

"It will be! One day, I will be the greatest inventor in Japan! I will make super cute babies, and they'll be used by all the top pro heroes! I'll have unlimited funding, and I can spend all my time in my lab and workshop making babies and no one will ever bother me!" Mei declared happily. "That's why I'm going to get into UA High school, where all the best heroes go! They have lots of funding for their support course and they always make super cute babies for their students!"

"Yeah, I wanted to get into UA too," Izuku said with a sigh. "I've always wanted to be a hero, but I can't be one."

"What are you talking about? You can be a hero, because you already are one! You saved me and my baby!" Mei said.

Izuku hung his head, fighting back tears. "I can't...because...because I don't have a quirk." He sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, but he mostly just smeared more filth over himself.

"Well, then you'll just have to use one of my babies!" Mei declared as she inspected Izuku's work. She made a few adjustments, but nodded approvingly. "With the Power Suit or another of my super cute babies, anyone could be a hero! Even you!"

"You too can be a hero."

How long had Izuku waited to hear someone say that? All his life? At that moment, Izuku's life was changed forever, because at last, someone believed in him.

"You...you really think s-so?" Izuku stammered. "You'd help me to be a hero, to get into UA?"

Mei nodded. "Of course! You saved me and my baby! Now, you just have to get that microwave out of the dumpster!"

"I...what?"

It turned out that the reason Mei had climbed in the dumpster in the first place was to haul out a cracked microwave someone had tossed in there. With her encouragement, Izuku scrambled in, handing her the broken appliance, then climbed back out, completely covered in filth. He looked at himself, wincing. His school uniform was ruined, and his mother was going to have a fit when she saw him.

"Come on, let's go!" Mei said eagerly. "Put on the Power Suit and you can carry the microwave back."

"Um, I don't-"

"See, it enhances your strength! With this baby, you'll be as strong as you need to be! Just like if you had a strength enhancing quirk. Imagine it, you with the Power Suit, showing the world how cute my babies are in the UA entrance exam!" Mei boasted.

With her cajoling, Izuku allowed himself to be strapped into the power suit, despite the fact that it was still dripping with filth. Mei was a bit on the tall side for a girl, and Izuku was still fairly short, so they were about the same height and build, making the fit fairly good.

"Activating Power Suit!" Mei cackled, and flipped the activation switch. The contraption hummed to life, and Izuku experimentally flexed his arms.

"Just be careful not to move too fast, I nearly broke my arm that way," Mei advised. "Just move slowly and carefully at first."

Gingerly, Izuku bent down and picked up the microwave. To his surprise, with the power suit on it felt as though it weighed virtually nothing; the suits mechanical muscles were doing most of the lifting. He took a few careful steps, feeling as though he were light as a feather. His stride was slightly bouncy, like that of an astronaut on the Moon. He stumbled and fell a few times, but Izuku was determined not to let that stop him. Finally, he had something that could make him into a hero.

Mei happily strode along beside Izuku, humming tunelessly to herself. She seemed rather oblivious to the stares and grimaces passersby gave the two reeking teens, pinching their noses or muttering rude remarks.

"Um, we don't have to go far, do we?" Izuku asked nervously after someone called them a public menace.

"My workshop is just over here!" Mei stated, pointing across the street to a two story building with a sign reading HATSUME MOTORS hanging above it. It appeared to be a mechanics shop of some sort, with signs advertising appliance repair, automotive maintenance, and other mechanical help. Mei led Izuku around to the rear of the shop, which had several open bays with cars and appliances in various states of repair inside them.

"Mei, is that you?" a voice called. A young woman a few years older than Izuku stepped out, wiping her grease stained hands on a dirty rag. She had the bright pink hair Izuku suspected Mei's was, though her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that stuck out the back of a beaten ball cap. Like Mei, she wore goggles, though hers were less ornate and looked like simple work wear. "Hey, who's this? You kidnap someone? Going to break him down for parts?"

"I do not know, Hari! But he saved me and my baby from a dumpster and he's going to show off my babies so he can be a hero and I can have unlimited funding to build babies forever," Mei stated.

Izuku flushed deep red, realizing he'd never introduced himself. He bowed deeply, nearly falling over as the suit exaggerated his motion. He windmilled his arms, managing to right himself, but dropping the microwave. "I-I'm sorry! I mean, I'm Izuku! Izuku Midoriya, I just, well, I found Hatsume trapped in a dumpster and I pulled her out and then she asked me to help her bring this back and-"

Hari laughed, coming over and gently steadying Izuku with one hand despite the state of his clothes. "It's fine! Good to see Mei made a friend! I'm Hari Hatsume. Mei, did you introduce yourself?"

"Yes, and my super cute baby! He is already doing an excellent job using the Power Suit! I shall have to make several improvements so that it does not fail when immersed in garbage again."

"Uh huh. Well, before you get started on that, you two go get cleaned up. You both reek. Mei, do we have any old clothes this kid can change into? You both stink."

"Yes, probably. But it's fine, I can just start taking apart the microwave for the parts and then-"

"Go get changed before mom and dad see you or you'll be grounded for a week, and help poor Midoriya, too. Take a shower too, and make sure you wash your hair."

"But it's Tuesday!" Mei protested.

"Wash. Your. Hair. I'm warning you, Mei, dad sees you and-"

"Ugh, fine. Come on, um what was your name again?"

"Midoriya, Izuku Midoriya," Izuku said, feeling a bit confused. Why wouldn't Mei want to wash her hair? And hadn't he just said his name?

"Right, well, Midoriya, come on. I've got some old clothes somewhere in my workshop you can have. They're probably even clean."

Mei lead Izuku past the open bays to a door at the back of the building, with a sign on the front that read: MEI'S SUPER CUTE WORKSHOP! NO BRATS!

Inside was a dimly lit large space that appeared to have once been a two car garage. It was full of tables that were piled with stack of items, from tools to parts to what looked like projects Mei was building in various states of completion. The walls had shelves piled haphazardly with tools and finished items. One looked like a tube loaded with an umbrella, another like a fire extinguisher that had been modified, and others of various designs and origins that Izuku couldn't determine with a glance.

Mei started rooting around in a pile of cardboard boxes stacked near a pallet that had a pile of clothes and blankets on it. After a moment, she let out a cry of triumph. "Here we go!" She sniffed the clothes she pulled out, then nodded. "Yes, these are clean. Here, take these and get changed. If you want a shower, the bathroom is over there."

Izuku unstrapped himself and took the clothes, looking down at them. They were worn and had a few old grease stains on them, a pair of overalls and a shirt with the Hatsume logo on it.

"Ok, um I guess I'll-" Izuku looked up and let out a squeak, going pale, then deep red.

"What?" Mei asked, pausing with her shirt over her head. She was stripping off her sodden clothes, having already undone her suspenders, her overalls sagging around her midsection.

"I'llbeinthebathroomsorry!" Izuku yelled, then ran inside and slammed the door, breathing heavily. He quickly stripped off his clothes and jumped in the small shower. It felt good to rinse off the coating of filth, and he sighed in relief. After thoroughly scrubbing himself and then rinsing, Izuku turned off the water and dried himself off with a towel he found crammed under the sink, then changed into the clothes Mei had given him. The overalls were a smidge too big and the shirt a bit too tight, but they were better than the sodden uniform he'd taken off. Feeling better, Izuku knocked on the door.

"Um, Mei, is it safe to come out?"

"I didn't start any fires, don't worry!"

That made Izuku blink, as that had not been what he'd meant at all. Carefully, he slowly opened the door, peering around carefully. Mei was sitting at a worktable that she'd placed the Power Suit on, and was disassembling it under the harsh light of an incandescent lamp. Her hair was now damp, showing that it was indeed a bright pink color like Hari's was, though it clung in wet clumps to her her head and back.

"Um, don't you want to shower?" Izuku asked, carefully stepping out. He gingerly held his dirty clothes in one hand, and after a moment he spied a plastic bag from a corner store. He took out the empty energy drink cans and wrapped his clothes in it, stowing them in his backpack. He'd try to wash them, but he didn't have much hope they'd ever be wearable again.

"Showers are in the mornings. I did wash my hair though, you can tell Hari that! I just used the sink, it's faster."

"Um, don't you feel dirty? And, well doesn't the smell bother you?" Izuku asked. He blushed, realizing he'd just implied that Mei stunk, though amidst the smell of grease, fuel, and other chemical smells in the workshop it was hard to tell.

"Nope!" Mei continued to work, ignoring Izuku and humming happily to herself.

"Can...can I help?" Izuku asked.

"You did OK with the wiring," Mei told him, not looking up from her work. "See if you can unhook the main power source there. I need to clean it and maybe build a new housing. The exposed wiring is a problem, so I'll have to find a way to keep it safe during use."

Izuku sat down across from Mei, and began to carefully unhook the wires with pliers. Once he'd managed to take off one bundle, he looked for a place to put it, but the workshop was so disorganized he couldn't see where to put it. The mess bothered Izuku, who was naturally a very neat and tidy person.

"Maybe we should clean up a bit?" Izuku suggested.

Mei just shrugged, intent on her tinkering. "I know where everything is."

"Um, ok. I need a place to put the wires I'm taking off. Where do I do that?"

"I have a box of wires over there somewhere," Mei said, waving vaguely towards a table piled high with tool boxes and crates.

Izuku looked through it, but each box was a jumble of wires, nuts and bolts, and other small parts. He carefully set them in rows, and began sorting through the mess, designating a box for each. He found a permanent marker, carefully labeling them with neat handwriting. After about thirty minutes, he'd managed to bring at least a little order to that particular corner of the workshop. Feeling satisfied, Izuku took the box he'd labeled for wires and put the ones he'd stripped off the Power Suit into it, then went over to keep working.

He'd been at it for about ten minutes when he heard something behind him. He turned to see a younger boy with strange eyes looking up at him. Izuku stared into those eyes, which had iridescent irises that made a strange, swirling pattern with their luminescent pupils. He felt himself falling into those eyes, a sense of confusion and disorientation coming over him.

"How are you?" the boy demanded. "Why are you in Mei's room and wearing Hari's old clothes?"

"Komaru!" Mei snapped, standing up fast enough to shake the table. The jolt knocked Izuku out of his stupor, and he shook his head. "You know the rules! No brats in my workshop!"

"Yeah, but who's this weird boy? Is he a robot or something you made?" Komaru demanded, blinking his strange eyes slowly. Izuku had to look away, feeling a sense of vertigo.

"No! He is a hero who saved me and my baby from a dumpster and now he is helping me make babies so that we can both get into UA!" Mei declared.

"MOOOOM! DAAAAD! Mei's bringing strange boys home and making babies with them in her room! That's against the rules!" Komaru yelled, darting out of the workshop.

A headache started throbbing in Izuku's head, and he clutched at his temples, gasping slightly. He heard Mei pound after Komaru, yelling at him to get out of her room.

"Hey! Who's there? What are you doing in Mei's room?" A deep male voice demanded.

Izuku winced, blinking and looking up, his vision swimming slightly. "S-s-sorry, I- I can't-what's going on?" he asked dazedly.

"Oh hell. KOMARU! How many times do I have to tell you to wear your goggles and not look people in the eyes!" the man roared. He bent down over Izuku, gently rubbing his forehead with strong fingers. "It's OK. Here, come on, let's get you a cold pack and some water. You'll feel fine in a moment."

Izuku let himself be led by the hand, his vision slowly recovering. He found that he was being taken along by a large man with a bristling black beard and a receding hairline. He was dressed similarly to what Izuku was now wearing, though his shirt was monogrammed with "HEAD MECHANIC: HATSUME." His arms were thick and a bit hairy, and he smelled faintly of sweat and engine grease. The man, who Izuku assumed to be Mei's father, took Izuku up a flight of stairs and sat him down on a pillow at a low table. He brought Izuku a glass of water, which Izuku drank thirstily.

"T-thanks, I feel a lot better now," Izuku said. "Um, sorry, I'm Izuku Midoriya. I um, well, I met Mei, and then I helped her bring a microwave back here and she gave me these clothes and then we were working on the Power Suit and I-"

"Slow down there kid," the man said gently, peering into Izuku's eyes. "You feel OK? Komaru didn't put the whammy on you too hard? Sorry, he's only eight, but he should really know better."

Izuku noticed that Mr. Hatsume had odd pupils himself, shaped a bit like an X. He didn't feel strange looking at them though, and they were the normal black color. He had goggles like Hari's up on his forehead, which was sweaty and a bit grimy.

"Um, yeah, I'm ok. Does he have some sort of hypnosis quirk? That's really cool! You can do all sorts of things with a quirk like that!"

"Yeah, like get into trouble," Mr. Hatsume muttered. "Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners. I'm Shu Hatsume, Mei's father. Are you...a friend of hers? From school?"

"Um, no, I don't go to Mei's school," Izuku admitted. "We, well, we sort of met in an alley. She was stuck in a dumpster, and I got her out. She, um, said she could help me."

Mr. Hatsume groaned, rubbing his face with a large hand. "Don't tell me she tried to get you to try one of her 'babies.' Please tell me you didn't get hurt by one of her contraptions."

"No! It was really awesome! Mei's inventions are so cool! I was so much stronger wearing the Power Suit, it almost felt like I had a quirk! She says she wants to make support equipment for heroes, and to get into UA. Well, I want to go to UA too, in the hero course! Please, let me help Mei make more inventions, so that I can be a hero and she can be an inventor! We can pursue our dreams together!" Izuku bent low in a kowtow, praying that Mr. Hatsume would consent to this.

"Whoa there, no need for that. Come on kid, up you go." Mr. Hatsume gently lifted Izuku back to a sitting position, then patted him on the shoulder. He grinned broadly, showing a few chipped and crooked teeth, but it was a friendly look. "So, Mei finally made a friend, huh? Hari told me she'd brought someone home but I didn't believe it! This is fantastic! Of course you can come over and play with Mei, Midoriya! We'd be happy to have you! Mei's never brought home a friend before. And, you're not mad about Komaru?"

"No, his quirk is really cool! He's still little, so I'm sure he's learning to control it. You mean it, I can really come over and try out Mei's inventions whenever I want?"

"Of course. Just, er, be careful. She gets a little over enthusiastic sometimes," Mr. Hatsume cautioned.

"Thank you sir!" Izuku said fervently, bowing again.

He knew, with Mei's help, he really could be a hero.

_Authors Note:_

_The primary AU element of this story lies in Mei having grown up much closer to where Izuku lived, instead of Kyoto. Further points of departure shall arise from that._

_Thanks for reading and reviewing!_


	2. Idols Old and New

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_2\. Idols, Old and New_

_If just one person believes in you_

_Deep enough, and strong enough_

_Believes in you_

_Hard enough_

_And long enough_

_Before you know it_

_Someone else would think_

_"If he can do it, I can do it"_

_-Just One Person, by Hal Hackaday_

"Hey, Midoriya! Your usual?"

Izuki smiled and shook his head, looking around the cluttered and cramped comics store fondly. It was filled to the brim with all sorts of hero memorabilia, new and old, from the omnipresent All Might to far more obscure heroes like EraserHead. "Not today, Mr. Azara. I'm looking for something a bit different."

The pudgy proprietor of the Coruscant Comics store raised an eyebrow and leaned over the glass counter, which showed off rare and valuable trading cards, comics, and other hero related merchandise. "Really? We've just got in issue #487, with the deluxe cover. And I've got pre-orders for American Years All-Might figures too."

Shifting nervously, Izuku shook his head. "No thanks. Um, I was actually going to ask you about something else."

"Well, OK, but this isn't like you, Midoriya," Mr. Azara said, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "You're one of my best customers! I'd hate to lose you."

"Oh, don't worry about that Mr. Azara. Um, actually, I was wondering. Do you have any comics of, um, quirkless heroes? You know, like from the before times."

Mr. Azara nodded, smiling. "Yeah sure, I got plenty of Superman and Spiderman of course. They're popular collectors items. Broadening your collection? Maybe you want an old Shonen title, like Dragon Ball or One Piece?"

"Um, no, I mean, like, heroes with no quirks," Izuku mumbled, looking down at his shoes. "At all. Not...not just powers that aren't quirks."

The store owner scratched at his balding pate. "Totally quirkless, huh? Well, those haven't been popular in a long time." He frowned at Izuku, then sighed. "You finally accept it then, kid?"

"W-w-what do you mean?" Izuku stammered. "I, I don't-"

"Knock it off, Midoriya. I've suspected it for a while," Mr. Azara said quietly, leaning across the counter on one elbow. "You're quirkless."

Feeling a lump grow in his throat, Izuku could only hang his head and nod.

"Yeah, I thought so. Hey, don't sweat it. So am I."

Izuku looked up, startled. "You mean it?"

Mr. Azara grinned. "Course I do. When I was growing up, it wasn't quite so strange yet. Hell, there's lots of older folks like me walking around with no quirks. We're in the minority, sure, but yeah."

"Then...then how can you stand to be around all these heroes all the time?" Izuku whispered. He didn't really have to, the store's only other patrons were engaged in a noisy card game in the back corner, and were totally oblivious to what was going on at the counter.

"Guess it's cause I love heroes, just like you do, Midoriya. Tell you what. Come to the back with me."

Hesitantly, Izuku followed Mr. Azara to the cramped back room. "You know," the owner said as he walked to a locked cabinet and dug in his pocket for a key. "I wanted to be a hero when I grew up. Read all the comics and stuff. Didn't really give up on it until I got to High School. I tried for UA, but, well, I wasn't the best student, and I was quirkless. So, you know. Didn't go very far with that. Plus, even though I wanted it, I never tried all that hard."

"How come?" Izuku asked, cocking his head to one side. "Wasn't that your dream?"

"Eh, I guess I just kept on dreaming. I couldn't be a hero, so I read about them, collected them. And now, I sell them." Mr. Azara pulled out a bundle that was wrapped carefully in old newspapers. He took it out, slowly peeling away the papers until he reverently revealed the contents. On top was a comic book depicting a man with a dark blue cowl and cape, with a black insignia in the shape of a bat on it. He was fighting a villain dressed as a clown, who had a sinister grin on his twisted face.

"Detective Comics?" Izuku asked, gingerly picking up the plastic wrapped book. "I've never heard of it."

"Batman isn't very popular anymore," Mr. Azara said with a chuckle. "For obvious reasons. Well, him and the other guy. Here." He reached into the pile and pulled out another well preserved comic book.

"The Invincible Iron Man," Izuku read. On this cover was a hero dressed in a red and yellow suit of armor, with glowing blue discs on his palms. He seemed to be flying through the clouds, blasts of light coming out of his boots. "I don't think I've ever heard of him either."

"Yeah, well, Batman and Ironman just aren't really well known these days, like I said. They're both Superheroes, but they're completely quirkless. No powers at all."

Izuku looked up, shocked. "What, really?"

Mr. Azara smiled, nodding. "Yep. But Batman was such a popular and powerful hero in his heyday that they said he could even beat up Superman. While Ironman, well, he was sort of Spiderman's mentor, at least for a while in the comics."

"But how?" Izuku asked, looking back down at the books in his hands. "You said they don't have quirks?"

"Nope. Batman, he's the world's greatest detective. He has a plan for literally anything. He even carried around kryptonite in his belt pouch, in case Superman ever went evil. He was in peak physical condition. He trained every day, knew dozens of martial arts, and had a mind like a steel trap. He could go toe to toe with any Supervillain, and come out on top."

"What about Iron Man?" Izuku asked, unable to take his eyes off the confident looking hero in the armor.

"Well, he was also pretty smart. But he wasn't a detective, he was an inventor. He made all sorts of gadgets. Well, Batman did that too, but Tony Stark focused more on that suit of armor you see him in. That's the Model 51, also known as the Model Prime Armor. With that suit on, he was one tough hero. But even without it, he was still one of the smartest men alive. It was his inventiveness that made him a hero."

An inventor, like Mei? Izuku practically felt giddy holding the ancient books.

"Whoa." Reverently, Izuku set the comics down, then looked up at the store owner. "How much for all of these? I've o-only got about 3000 yen with me, but I've got more saved up and-"

"They're yours. Take 'em. No charge." Mr. Azara pushed the comics towards Izuku, smiling. "These books, well, they got me through some tough spots when I was a kid. And you're in pretty much the same boat I was in, Midoriya. You've been a good customer for a long time. So I think I can trust you with these."

Sniffing, Izuku felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he wiped at them with the back of his hand. "You really mean it?"

"Yeah. Keep on dreaming big, Midoriya. And when life kicks you in the teeth, read a few of these, and smile a little."

"Yes sir!" Izuku said enthusiastically. "I promise, I won't give up on my dream! I will become a hero! Just like Batman and Iron Man!"

Scooping the books into his backpack, Izuku ran out of the store, hurrying towards Mei's workshop, dreams already swirling in his head.

"Go get 'em, kid," Mr. Azara said, smiling as he watched Izuku leave. "Enjoy the dream while you can still keep it."

A short train ride later brought Izuku to the Hatsume home. He waved to Hari as he passed by her work area. She stood up from the car she was working on and smiled at him. "Mei hasn't scared you off yet?"

"Not a chance!" Izuku called back, hurrying to Mei's living space.

"Ah, you! You're just in time!" Mei called as he hurried in. "I've just about finished my modifications to the Power Armor MKII."

It had been a few days since their initial meeting, and Izuku had found time to come to help Mei after school for at least an hour every day. He's spent some of that time simply tidying up the room, sorting things into their proper places or in some cases creating one, and generally bringing order to the chaotic environment. A few times Mei had huffed that she couldn't find anything now that Izuku had moved things, but he did notice that she was now giving him things to put away, and when he wasn't there at least trying to put things back in an orderly fashion, she would often just stick it somewhere if she got distracted enough. Which was most of the time.

"That's great, Hatsumei!" Izuku said excitedly. "I brought us something to look at, you know, for ideas and stuff."

"Why would I need something to look at?" Mei said dismissively, clearly not noticing or caring about Izuku's enthusiasm. "I've got plenty of great ideas already! I just need the materials, funds, and time to make them!"

"Oh, well, it's just, I found these old books about quirkless heroes, and the equipment they used," Izuku said, digging out a couple of the comics from his bag. "Like Iron Man, he's got power armor like you're making, but it's got repulsors that he can use as weapons or to fly and-"

"Ehhh?" Mei grabbed the books out of Izuku's hands, flipping through them. "Hey, these aren't schematics at all! They're just comic books! Why'd you bring these to me? I can't use them for anything!"

Blushing, Izuku quickly took the books back before Mei simply dropped them. "Well, you see, I was thinking, if they could be Heroes even though they didn't have any quirks, maybe I could copy some of what they were doing and-"

"Did you not hear me, you?" Mei grabbed Izuku and started dragging him over. "You don't need anything else! You've got me! I'll build it, and you'll field test it, and together we'll get into UA and build anything our hearts desire!"

"O-o-ok, Hatsume," Izuku stammered. He found himself loaded into the Power Armor MK II before he even knew what was happening.

Unlike before, when it had just been servos and cables strapped to his limbs and torso, now the Power Armor was closer to an actual suit of armor, fully covering his torso and limbs. It still had exposed wiring running along the arms and legs, and it was welded together out of scrap metal made from old bits of cars, air conditioners, or whatever other kinds of scrap metal Mei and Izuku had been able to drag back to her place over the last few days.

Still, when Izuku had it on, it felt...right. The weight of the metal settled on him, and he stood up, the actuators whirring softly as he did so.

"Initializing!" Mei cackled. "Come on baby, show mommy what you've got!"

Izuku looked down at the battered set of weights they'd found. There were 100 kilograms on the first one, just a bit more than he could easily lift on his own. He bent down and easily picked it up though, the armor amplifying his movements.

"Wow, Hatsume, it's actually working!" he said excitedly.

"Of course it is! I made it! Now come on, do the next one!" Mei urged.

Izuku quickly bent down and lifted another 100 kilograms in his other hand, flexing his arms as though he were lifting little more than a few kilos. Eagerly he dropped the weights, only for them to crash onto the floor with a bang.

"S-s-sorry!" he stammered.

"Ha! Just keep going!" Mei commanded, and eagerly Izuku obeyed.

He easily lifted up to 300 kilograms, but at that point, he was starting to sweat and struggle. "It's...it's at it's limit!" Izuku gasped, straining to lift the 400 kilo bar.

"That or you are," Mei mused. "Still, that's a good start. Set it down now, I'm going to have to run some diagnostics." She came over and happily patted Izuku's arm. "Good work baby, you made mommy proud!"

Izuku blushed, though he knew she was talking to the machinery, not to him. He spent the next few hours helping Mei rewire the suit while she made adjustments to the servos and actuators.

"Hatsume, this doesn't look right," Izuku told her, examining some of the wiring. "I don't think these capacitors are high enough grade for the power you're trying to put through this circuit."

Slide out from under the armor and frowned at Izuku. "What are you talking about? I wired it myself! Those capacitors are fine!"

"Y-y-yeah, but, um, well, the stuff I read online said you needed to do multiple series for a set up like this. I think, um, well, you're putting too much draw on the power over this circuit as well. M-m-mabye if I rewire it, with a secondary power source, like a backup battery, it would work better. Here, like this." Izuku quickly sketched out his idea for the circuit, with more redundancy.

"Ok," Mei said, frowning at the sketch. "Well, you can try that. But I think we're going to need better hydraulics, too. The fluid in this just isn't up to specs," Mei said, tapping at one of the joints. "And we'll need better motors here, and here. We'll have to really search hard to find the right parts. Argh! I can't wait until I can actually work in a real lab! All we've got here is a bunch of junk!"

"Mei, what you said earlier...do you really think it would help if I did some physical training?" Izuku asked, looking down at his arms. They were skinny, like they'd always been. He'd gotten a bit of muscle when he'd hit puberty, but he'd never tried very hard to improve his physical fitness. Most of his hero obsession was limited to watching videos, collecting figures, and reading comics and manga.

"Couldn't hurt," Mei agreed. She poked Izuku in the belly hard, causing him to gasp and wince. "If you're really going to show off what my babies can do, you'd better be good enough for them, you hear me, what's your name."

"Midoriya," Izuku grunted. He'd had to remind Mei who he was frequently, but he didn't mind that much.

"Right. Well, Midoriya, do you think you're good enough for my babies?"

Glancing over at the comics peeking out of his bag, Izuku nodded. Mr. Azara had said that Batman had trained to be in peak physical condition. He'd had gadgets, sure, but it was his training that made a big difference. "Right. I'll make sure to start some strength training then. Maybe if I run here instead of taking the train, and practice with the weights we have while you're working…"

"Just as long as you keep up with your other duties as well," Mei said, going back to tinkering with the power armor. "My mom and dad like how the workshop looks now and I find things better. Keep doing that!"

"Y-y-yes, of course!" Izuku agreed. He didn't even think to protest that keeping Mei's room and workspace clean should have been her job. Mostly, Izuku was grateful that someone, anyone, believed in him, even if she was exploiting him while she did so.

Once they were finished, Izuku tried some pushups while Mei did some diagnostics. He managed 12 before his arms gave out and he dropped down, gasping. But he forced himself up, then started doing crunches. He managed only about 35 of those before he was laying on the floor, groaning softly. He'd already had a long day at school, and worked hard on the Power Armor before this.

"I'll have to...have to come up with a systematic exercise plan," he gasped from the floor.

"Why, cause you're a wimp?"

Izuku looked up to see the second youngest Hatsumi, Nikiawa, looking down at him. Unlike his father and siblings, he lacked the distinctive Hatsume eyes, though he did have the same pink hair as his two sisters and mother. He'd gotten his quirk from his mother, which made their spit an adhesive similar to glue, though they couldn't produce any more saliva than a normal person.

"Nikiawa!" Mei snapped, looking up from her work and glaring at her brother. "How many times have I told you not to come into my workshop?"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, dinner's ready and mom sent me to get the two of you. But whatever, you can starve or something," Nikiawa declared, turning and leaving the room.

"Hatsumi, we really should eat, it's getting late," Izuku urged.

"You go on without me," Mei said, waving her hand. "I'm not hungry."

Sighing, Izuku forced himself up and walked over to Mei. "Please, I would feel really awkward sitting down to dinner with your family. It would be a huge favor to me if you came and ate. Besides, we can talk about what scraps you want me to look for tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, OK, OK," Mei agreed. She absently wiped her forehead with her arm, then hurried towards the door. "Come on already, let's-"

"We should wash our hands first," Izuku said, opening Mei's bathroom door. "We're still all dirty."

"Ugh, fine. You're worse than my mother is sometimes," Mei complained. But she did wash up, even cleaning her sweaty and grease stained face when Izuku reminded her.

They hurried down the hall and up a flight of stairs to the family dinning room that was situated above the shop. The rest of Mei's family was already seated, serving out bowls of rice, vegetables and tofu.

"Well, look who decided to join us!" Hari teased as Mei and Izuku entered the room. "Damn Midoriya, you must be a good influence on her! That's four times this week she's had dinner with us!"

"We're so glad you two are getting along so well," Noriko, Mei's mother said as she set a bowl in front of each of them. "Mei's had some hard times at school, and well, we were worried she didn't have any friends."

"They're all stupid anyway," Mei declared between mouthfuls of food. She didn't believe in wasting time at the table, or in good manners it seemed. "Who needs them when I have my babies? Plus, Midoriya actually understands how important my work is! Unlike some people around here!"

"All you do is make stupid crap anyway," Komaru complained glaring at Mei with his odd iridescent eyes. "When are you going to make something cool, like a jet pack or something?"

Mei glared at her brother over her bowl of food, pointing her chopsticks at him. "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to get the parts for that?! I'd need a better power source, something to generate jet propulsion, all sorts of things I can't make with the junk we get! Even with his help improving the wiring that's way beyond me right now!"

"Komaru, leave your sister alone," Mr. Hatsume ordered. "And put your goggles back on."

Hari grinned and winked at Izuku. "Besides, the latest stuff they've put together is actually interesting! Think you could ever let me borrow it, Mei?"

"Only if Midoriya is operating it! He's the only one I trust to use it. The rest of you keep breaking things!" Mei accused, which started an argument between her and her siblings, with her parents taking turns scolding them.

After the noisy dinner, Izuku quietly took his leave, hurrying towards the train station to take it home. Halfway there, he paused and considered. It was just about 10k to his home if he walked or ran it. If he wanted to focus on his physical training, what better way than to do a 10k run?

About three kilometers into the 10k, Izuku was fairly certain of two things. One, he had grossly underestimated just how far ten kilometers was, and two, he was really, really out of shape. He stumbled along the streets now, his breathing somewhat ragged and sweat dripping down his face. He was forced to find a vending machine and purchase a bottle of sports drink, which he quickly downed, then took a five minute breather before he continued on, refusing to give up.

"Mei's working hard so that I can become a hero," he gasped to himself. "And I have to work hard too!"

It took Izuku just under two hours to make his way back home, by which point he was utterly exhausted, and had thrown up twice. His clothes, already greasy and dirty from working with Mei, were now soaked with sweat. He dragged himself up the stairs to his apartment, opening the door and stumbling for his room.

"Izuku! You're so late! I was worried half to death! I sent you a dozen texts but you didn't answer any of them!" His mother wailed, running up and cupping his sweaty head in her hands. "What happened to you? You're all flushed and sweaty? Did this Hatsume girl do this to you? You've spent nearly every night this week at her place! This is going too far! You're going to fall behind on your studies, and you're worrying me half to death!"

"Mom, it's fine," Izuku panted. "I just...I was just going for a late night run."

"In overalls?!" his mother demanded.

Izuku flushed, looking down at his clothes. He was still wearing Hari's old overalls, though he'd switched to his own t-shirts. It still weirded him out a little that he was wearing what had been a woman's clothes, but he hadn't had time to get his own, and besides they did fit reasonably well.

"Um, yeah. Maybe next time I should bring my gym clothes," Izuku admitted.

"Next time? Next time?! Izuku, I haven't even met this girl!" His mother suddenly went beet red, looking away and tapping her finger tips together. "Are you...are you doing anything…?"

"What?!" Somehow, Izuku went even more flush than he had been, waving his hands and stammering. "N-n-no, n-n-nothing, it's not like-w-w-we're just, um, building things! Yeah, it's uh, a new hobby! We're making gear, so that, um, I can use it, to er, be a hero!"

"Oh Izuku," his mother said, tears welling up in her eyes. She reached forward and pulled her son into an embrace. "I'm sorry. I know...I know I should have said something else, back then, when you asked me if you could be a hero. But...but you don't have a quirk. And the doctors, they say if it hasn't happened by now...it's never happening."

"I know, mom," Izuku whispered, hugging her back. "But I think I've found another way. Mei's an inventor. She's showing me how to build and create things. I'll be a different kind of hero. A new kind of hero. One who doesn't have a quirk, but instead uses technology and training to push himself beyond his limits. Look, see, Mr. Azara gave me these!"

Quickly, Izuku separated from his mom and pulled out some of the comics he'd been reading. "See, this is Batman, and Ironman. They're Heroes, from the before times, but they didn't have quirks at all! I'm going to be like them!"

"Oh, Izuku," his mother sighed. "More comics? Honey, those aren't real. They're not even like the ones with All Might in them. Those are at least based in reality. But those? They're just fairy tales people used to tell themselves."

"They can be," Izuku said firmly. "I'm going to be like Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. I'm going to be a hero."

"I thought you wanted to be like All Might," his mother said gently. "And...and maybe there's a way you could do that. You could join the police, or be a firefighter, or a rescue worker, or-"

"No!" Izuku half yelled. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Tears welled up in his own eyes, and his hands holding the comics started to tremble. "I'm going to be a hero. I'll save people, with a smile on my face, but...but not like All Might. If a kid ever asks me if they can be a hero, even if they don't have a quirk, I'll smile at them and say, 'Yes. You too can be a hero.'"

Upon hearing this, Inko paled slightly. "Izuku? What are you saying. You've always loved All Might. What...what happened to you?"

For a moment, Izuku almost told his mother about his darkest hour. About meeting All Might, and being told he could never be a hero. But he didn't. That wound was too fresh, too painful. Instead, he smiled. "I still respect All Might. In many ways, he's what I want to become. But I can't be like All Might. You're right mom, I don't have a quirk. But I'm not going to let that stop me."

Izuku stalked off to his room, nearly slamming the door behind him, though he ended up just closing it very firmly. He looked around at his room, which was still full of All Might memorabilia. A sudden urge seized Izuku, and he walked over to one of the posters, ready to rip it down. He nearly did, but couldn't bear to do it. For all the antipathy he felt towards All Might now, he'd idolized the man growing up, and still looked up to him as a hero.

Sighing, Izuku carefully took the poster down. He found an empty box, and carefully placed it inside. Then he went about, taking down the rest of the posters. He collected all the various All Might figures, toys, and comics he had, stacking them in boxes as well. He had to go get a few from around the house, but after an hour or so he'd packed it all away. He felt utterly exhausted, but not having All Might looking down on him, judging him and his lack of a quirk made Izuku feel a bit better.

He reached into his backpack, and took out the copies of Iron Man and Batman. He started to read about their adventures, these two men with no quirks, who'd used their brains, gadgets, and apparently unlimited wealth to forge themselves into heroes. After only a few minutes of reading though, Izuku's eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. As he often did, he dreamed of being a hero, but this time, Mei was there, and it was with the Power Suit, not muscles like All Might, that Izuku Midoriya saved the day.

_Authors Note:_

_Dear actual electrical engineers:_

_Please don't crucify me._

_Sincerely,_

_The Author_


	3. Laying Mortar

This document beta'd by kylekatarn77

_**3: Laying Mortar**_

I am different, not less.

—Dr. Temple Grandin

The teacher frowned as he set the test on Izuku's desk, 78% circled in scarlet ink. "I'm disappointed, Midoriya. Your grades are usually a lot better. For someone who says he wants to get into UA, you're sure not showing it."

Izuku guiltily tucked the test away in his binder, his face burning as red as the ink. It wasn't actually a terrible grade to get, all things considered. The test had been a difficult math exam, covering the basics of trigonometry. Izuku glanced up at the teacher, but they'd already moved on to lecture the other students.

Suddenly, a wad of paper bounced off the back of Izuku's head. Cringing, he turned around to see Bakugo leering at him from a few desks back.

"Well nerd, have you just given up on life yet? You can't even get good grades. Guess you should just give up on getting into UA. Or better yet, try. Runts like you will make it easier for someone like me to get in with the competition so weak."

"I-I-I've just been really b-b-b-busy, Kacchan, I d-d-didn't study enough and-"

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. It just shows that someone like you can never hope to measure up. UA will laugh your application right out of the building." With that, Bakugo went back to goofing off with his friends. He'd been out for a few days after the Slime Villain attack, but after a bit of moping Bakugo was back to his usual self, claiming he'd fought a villain so tough even All Might had struggled to defeat him.

Izuku glanced at Bakugo's desk, where his own test had been haphazardly thrown into his folder. His score was 98%. Normally, Izuku was a match for Bakugou, at least academically.

"But if I fall behind here, I'll never catch up to Kacchan," Izuku muttered to himself.

The problem was, he really was very busy. In the month since he'd met Mei, he'd spent hours a day helping her find salvage or working on the Power Armor (now up to MK III). Plus, he'd started physical training, using a plan he'd found on the internet called "The Hero." It called for 100 sit ups, 100 push ups, 100 squats, and a 10k run every day, plus a rotating daily routine of other exercises like weights or specialized training for various muscle groups. It left him physically exhausted by the time he got back home, usually very late. And that had left little time for studying.

Until now Izuku had simply coasted on his already solid academic foundation. He'd never found most of his classes particularly hard, and for the most part, the amount of studying he'd done had been excessive. But both Kacchan and his teacher were right: If he wanted to get into UA, his grades needed to be the very best.

At the end of the school day, Izuku decided to run to Mei's home, which was about 5k from his school. This gave him time to think and consider his next steps.

"Hatsume?" he called when he arrived at her shop. He'd stopped once to grab an old toaster he'd seen sticking out of a dumpster, and the run had taken him longer than usual. Despite that, she wasn't home yet, so Izuku sat down and pulled out his textbooks to do some studying.

After about 20 minutes, Mei barged in, her bag bulging with various objects she'd scavenged. She took differing routes home everyday to find new and interesting things to bring back to strip for parts, and seemed to have a rather impressive haul today, including a large piece of sheet metal.

"Ah, Midoriya! You are Midoriya, right? Well great, you're here already. Did you manage to figure out the power drain issues on the-"

"Hatsume, not right now. Come on, we need to study," Izuku said, patting the bench next to him. "You can help me with math."

"What?" Mei walked over, frowning at the page. "Oh, those are easy. The answer to that one is-"

"Don't just tell me the answer!" Izuku said, half panicked. "I need to learn how to do this!"

That made Mei glance askance at Izuku. "What do you mean, learn how to do this? It's math. The answer's not gonna change."

Izuku blinked. He realized he'd never seen Mei study, not even once, and by now he'd spent a very long time in her 'lab,' including two whole Sundays. "Um, don't you ever study?"

"No," Mei said with a huff. "I already get good grades in all the important areas. Math, and Chemistry, and Physics. The rest of it isn't important to an inventor like me."

"Well, doesn't UA look at all your grades?" Izuku prompted.

"Do they?" Mei said, frowning. She lifted her goggles, showing her crosshair shaped pupils, and looked at Izuku, then at the page. "You mean, like Japanese, History, and English and stuff? I hate English. It doesn't make any sense!"

"Um, yeah. I'm pretty sure all those matter on the entrance exams, Mei," Izuku said gently. "Um, how are your grades in those?"

"I'm passing, so it doesn't matter, right?" Mei asked. For the first time since Izuku had met her, she actually sounded unsure of herself.

"Well, UA looks at all your grades. And well, if they're not good enough, they might reject you." Izuku flushed and looked down. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I've been so busy, working with you on the Power Suit, training my body, and, well, my grades are starting to slip. If I want to get into UA, I need to spend more time studying. Otherwise, even if we build the most amazing armor ever, they won't even let me take the entrance exam."

"You're serious?" Mei demanded, scrambling over and putting her hands on Izuku's shoulders and pressing her face close to his. "You mean, if I don't have great grades in EVERYTHING, they won't let me in and I won't get unlimited funding to build all my babies?!"

"Um, y-yeah, that's how entrance exams usually work, Hatsume," Izuku stammered, leaning away from Mei slightly. He was getting used to her frequent violations of his personal space, but it still felt strange. "They screen out anyone who doesn't excel. Lots of people want to get into UA, so they can afford to be picky."

Mei let go of Izuku, sitting back on the bench with a poleaxed expression. "Then you mean I actually have to learn English and stuff?"

"Um, yeah…"

Mei suddenly jumped up, scrambling over to her bag. She dug out a battered textbook, its cover stained with grease and torn and tattered from being thrown in with scrap of all kinds. She raced over and dumped it on the table. "Ok, well, you're my partner. Teach me English!"

Izuku winced. "Well, it's not that easy. And, um, well, I could use some help in math. Because if I don't get my grades up, well, I won't get into UA either."

"That is completely unacceptable!" Mei declared. "You are, in fact, the best partner I have ever had. I tried to get Nikawa to help me but he's always glueing stuff in random places because he thinks it's funny or something. Hari and mom and dad are too busy, and Komaru is no help at all. I cannot afford to lose you! My production efficiency had gone up by 50% since you arrived! The power issues are improving, I have more materials to work with, and my parents have stopped bugging me about making friends! It is of vital importance that you keep helping me, especially when I get to UA!"

"Well...maybe you could help me in Science and Math, and I can help you in Japanese and English?" Izuku suggested.

"That is acceptable. We shall spend 30 minutes a day studying."

"Um, Mei, I-I-I think it might take more than that. We should really spend 30 minutes on each subject."

"Hmph. This seems like a tremendous waste of time." Mei bowed her head, thinking. Finally, she looked up. "Alright! If it means I get to obtain unlimited funding and keep you as my lab partner, I suppose it would mean an overall increase to our production capabilities. Very well! We shall study. Now, the way they teach you to do these problems is stupid. I know a much better way. Let me show you."

As it turned out, Mei's method of solving the problems involved a lot of rapid mental math and skipping of steps that left Izuku confused. But once he got her to slow down and explain what she was thinking, it took a few tries but they did get there, her methods did turn out to be fairly effective. Conversely, Izuku was shocked at just how bad Mei was outside of Math and Science subjects. Apparently, she had a low C average in English and Japanese Studies, and a high C in history. It ended up taking a considerably longer time than he'd thought it would to fully tutor her in those areas, but by teaching Mei material he was already fairly solid in, Itzuku found he gained a better understanding of those subjects himself.

It was actually sort of fun, and kinda nice, to have a study partner. It had been a long time since other kids had wanted anything to do with Izuku. While 80% of the population might have quirks, the number that didn't have a quirk was concentrated mostly in the older generations. In Izuku's generation, that number was more like 95%, and Izuku was one of the few kids at his school who were quirkless. It made him something of a pariah, especially since Bakugo, who was popular and powerful, seemed to have made it his life's mission to make Izuku miserable.

As they worked, Izuku managed to learn a bit more about Mei's school life as well. It turned out they were both social outcasts, though for obviously different reasons. As Izuku had guessed, Mei didn't have much in the way of a friend group.

"The other kids never understand! I bring one of my babies into class for show and tell, and it suddenly turns into run and hide! They just don't understand how amazing my babies are! So what if there was one little explosion or two? Barely anyone was hurt!" Mei complained as they worked on the Power Suit.

"E-e-explosion?" Izuku gasped, looking around.

"Don't worry, those hardly happen at home any more. Mom said if I set the building on fire again she'd take away all my babies! Can you even imagine?"

Unlike Izuku, Mei was perhaps too talented for her peers. She was clearly a natural born genius, as her aptitude for math and science quickly showed Izuku during their study sessions. She also easily picked up the subjects she'd struggled in, apparently only having put in enough effort to pass previously and "get my parents to quit bothering me."

That, and Mei's obvious lack of social skills. She was domineering and blunt, and completely unaware of social conventions. There had been more than one time when she'd simply started undressing or barged in on Izuku when he was changing in the bathroom, apparently oblivious to the fact that she had an admittedly attractive body to a boy of Izuku's age. Thankfully, Izuku had learned to lock the door, and had gotten quite adroit at looking away when Mei decided she needed to change into a different set of clothes when she came home from school or to head out dumpster diving.

"Hey, Mei, I-I-I was wondering, um, my mom, ah, she'd like to meet you," Izuku said one afternoon as they were testing out some of the modifications to their creation.

"Oh, does she want to see some of my babies? I could bring that grappling hook I built for you!" Mei said excitedly.

"Grappling hook? When did you do that?" Izuku asked, confused.

"Oh, you know, I saw it in one of those books you're always carrying around and thought maybe it would improve the mobility on the Power Armor MK III. I just modified baby number 17, it was originally a spring loaded umbrella launcher I built back when I was a kid. It didn't work out very well for keeping the rain off, but it was great at hitting pigeons. It's gas loaded but I want to see if you could figure out a way to give it more power."

"Um, OK. Yeah, um, that might be cool, and I have been experimenting with gas powered stuff on the suit. But, ah, mom just kinda wants to meet you. I d-d-don't have many friends, you see, and she um, she just wants to get to know you," Izuku explained.

"What? Do you even have a workshop at your place?" Mei demanded.

"Um, no, but we do have some old stuff laying around the apartment we could maybe bring back here, like, um, an old vacuum cleaner and my dad's old electric scooter that's just sat around for a while," Izuku offered. "I think I could get a motor with a decent power draw off the scooter."

"Well why didn't you say there was salvage!" Mei said happily. "We can go over and pick it up right away!"

Izuku quickly shook his head. "No! Um, my mom, ah, she's kinda...sensitive. She worries a lot, and um, well, I want to give her a good impression of you."

"Well what's wrong with me now?" Mei demanded, furrowing her brow in irritation.

Izuku blushed, looking away. Mei was once again in her stained overalls, with a ragged grey shirt that she frequently used to wipe her greasy hands on. Her face was smeared with oil, grime, and sweat, and her hair was unwashed and uncombed. It turned out her older sister practically had to force Mei to wash and clean her hair properly, but as that day was a Saturday with no school the next day Mei absolutely refused to bother.

"Er, maybe you should think of it...like an interview. You know, impressing a potential investor. Maybe if my mom thought what we were doing was useful, she'd be willing to, er support us."

"You mean, like a showcase for investors?" Mei demanded. When Izuku nodded, Mei immediately ran over to where her sleeping mat and clothes lay, one of the few areas of the room Izuku flatly refused to organize for her. "Why didn't you say so?! I think I've got some clean clothes somewhere. Yes, we'll definitely need to bring Number 17. Oh! And Number 35, that's my handheld heat ray! Good for drying hair, but I meant it to be used for melting metal. Couldn't get enough of a power source."

"Um, O-o-oK!" Izuku gasped, turning his back and sidling towards the door. "I'll, um, text my mom and tell her you're coming over for dinner. I'll, er, need to go get ready too."

"What?! But we've just finished modifying our baby together! You were going to take it for a test drive!" Mei protested, her voice coming closer.

Izuku risked a glance, then quickly turned around at a glimpse of bair skin. Mei appeared to be in the process of removing her overalls. "Ijusthavealottodowelldoittomorrowokseeyoulaterby!"

He was halfway home before he felt his phone vibrating. He took it out to see a text from Mei on it.

"You did not give me the address of our meeting location. Please respond."

Izuku quickly returned Mei's text, and a moment later her reply came. "Confirmed. Will be there at 6:00pm sharp. Please have devices ready for PowerPoint Presentation. Sound required."

Letting out a soft groan, Izuku quickly fired off a text to his mother warning her that Mei was coming as he continued to jog home. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a complete disaster.

"It's just so nice to know you've got a friend coming over, Izuku!" his mother babbled for perhaps the 50th time. "You've told me so much about Hatsume, but I just can't help but wonder what sort of girl she is!"

"She's um, very passionate," Izuku said, looking up from his computer that he'd connected to the TV. "She's really helping me work towards my goal of, er, getting into UA."

"Does she want to be a hero too? Is she, you know, like you?" his mom said, dropping her voice so low it was hard to hear her over the sizzling sounds from food she was frying.

"Um, no, not really. Hatsume wants to get into the Support Program at UA. She...she has a-a-a quirk, but, er, she doesn't really use it that much. It just gives her the ability to zoom in on stuff, with her eyes. She has great vision."

"Oh, well, that's...that's good! Maybe...maybe you could be in the support class with her! It would be so nice to go to school with a friend, don't you think?"

"I go to school with Kachaan mom," Izuku said, smiling slightly.

"Izuku."

He turned to see his mom standing over him, wringing her hands slightly. "Izuku...Bakugou...he isn't your friend."

Izuku felt his smile freeze in place, and cold sweat trickle down his back. "What do you mean? Of course Kaachan is-"

"Izuku, that boy's a bully. He's been cruel to you for...years. Since you were in kindergarten. It's just gotten worse. I know...I know you like to think of him as a friend but…" His mother took a deep breath. "I've tried so hard, and so long, to protect you, to encourage you, but...but you're almost in High School. I can't do that to you anymore. You have to...you have to realize what the real world is like. And Izuku...I'm so very, very afraid for you. If you try to get into the UA Hero Program, I think you'll be hurt, or even worse. And...and how would the other kids treat you? You're...well, you're a great kid, Izuku."

His mom knelt down and hugged Izuku, who felt her tears trickle onto his shoulders. "God, this is hard for me...I...I'm sorry. But...but well, you're a lot of things. You're smart, and talented, and brave, and cheerful, and kind, and...and all the things a mother wants her boy to grow up to be. But...you're also quirkless. And...and if you tried to fight a villain with no quirk, what would happen to you? Something bad, I just know it. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Mom...it's OK," Izuku said, patting his mom's back. Inside though, he felt numb and cold. Did no one believe in him? "Mei and I, we're both going to chase our dreams into UA. We'll make amazing gear, better than any quirk. And I'll be the World's Greatest Hero someday. You'll see."

Tears continued to well up in his mother's eyes. "Oh, Izuku, I-"

There was a knock at the door. "Oh! That's Hatsume!" Izuku said, seeing the clock read 6:00. Well, at least she was punctual. He separated himself from his mom and hurried over to open the door.

As soon as he opened it, Mei strode in uninvited, a wide grin on her face. "Hello! I am Mei Hatsume, and I am here to show you the incredible things that myself, and my partner Midoriya have created together!"

"Oh, um, pleasure to meet you, Hatsume" Inko said hesitantly, taking Mei's offered hand.

To Izuku's immense relief, Mei had actually taken the time to dress presentably for dinner. She was wearing slacks and a clean polo shirt with the logo of her family's shop on it, and was carrying a backpack that was bulging with several objects. For once, she was without her distinctive goggles, apparently having left those behind. She hand even washed her hair.

"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me, Ms. Midoriya," Mei said, bowing slightly. Her politeness was somewhat ruined by the manic grin plastered all over her face.

"Oh! Well, um, I just wanted to get to know Izuku's friend. He's kind of shy you know and he's always had a hard time getting to know people so when he told me he had met a young lady and the two of you were working on a project together I-"

"Yes! Baby number 47! Oh, it's so wonderful! When we're done, it's going to be the greatest of my creations! Izuku will be able to lift over 1000 kilos, run over 35 miles an hour, and jump up to 10 feet, plus more with the attached grappling hook!"

Inko only blinked very rapidly, clearly baffled by this.

"Well, I brought over a presention to show you, with footage from our last field test along with a few graphs I made and-"

"Why don't we eat dinner first!" Izuku interrupted. "We made miso soup with tofu!"

"Oh." Mei paused, glancing at Izuku with a slightly confused expression. "Is it traditional to eat first before the presentation?"

"At this house, yes!" Izuku said, frantically taking Mei's hand and leading her over to the table. He sat her down and hurriedly served up the food as his mother made her way over and sat down.

"So, Hatsume, Izuku tells me you're um, an inventor."

"Yes! I have created 51 adorable babies so far! But the most impressive one is number 47, which Izuku and I have been working on together for over a month now! It started as a simple exo-skeleton I called the Power Suit to help me when I scavenged for heavy parts, but Izuku has totally improved the electrical systems! He's helped me turn it into a fully fledged set of gear that has a multitude of functions, including-"

"Here's the food! Let's eat!" Izuku interrupted, hurriedly putting filled bowls down for everyone.

"Yes!" Mei began slurping her soup, then stopped and paused. She glanced at Inko then said in a rather robotic voice, "Thank you very much for the food." She clapped once, then went back to scarfing down her meal.

Inko blinked and looked to Izuku, who was fixedly staring into his bowl and eating himself, his face beat red. Mei ate like this with her family all the time, only pausing to argue with her siblings or tell of her latest creation. Small talk was not her speciality.

"So, um, Hatsumei, what school do you go to?" Inko asked, trying again to get the conversation going. "What classes do you like?"

"I go to East Nabo Middle," Mei said around a mouthful of noodles, her eyes still on her food, her tone once more oddly robotic. "I enjoy math. I enjoy science. I enjoy going to Mr. Onizuka's room for social groups. I do not like English."

That got Inko to blink. "Um, social groups? That sounds, ah, nice."

"It's boring and stupid but I have to go because I'm ASD or something," Mei said, rolling her eyes. "I don't have it bad but apparently it makes me antisocial or whatever. I don't care, as long as they leave me alone and let me make my babies. It's not like I can't talk or anything. But!"

Sudden energy entered back into Mei's voice, and she looked up, her odd crosshair irises sparkling. "Mr. Onizuka lets me build things for social groups! I've built two leg supports that help Nishima and Garo walk, and I built six augmentative communication devices that they've sent to other schools to give kids who are like, super high needs or something! They give me all these materials and since I'm like, the most social one in the social groups I get to spend all my time building stuff if I promise to talk to the other kids while I do it and then I can show my babies off and I'm working on designing an exo-suit for some of the kids with cerebral palsy and I've got an award for it which I don't care about but Mr. Onizuka say's that if keep this up I can get a recommendation to get into the support program for UA and if you're there you can build whatever you want even if it's super dangerous or something and no one yells at you if you don't do your English homework because it's stupid and we live in Japan and you can just keep building things all day for all kinds of heroes which is super awesome and Midoriya wants to go there too and I bet if I make him some amazing babies that let him pass the UA entrance exam everyone will let me build things forever and I can have as many babies as I want!"

A chunk of tofo slid out from between Inko's chop sticks as she stared open mouthed at Mei, who was once more grinning madly. "That, um, that sounds, um, really interesting, Hatsume. So, er, you think you and Izuku can get into UA together?"

"Absolutely! It will be required! He's the best lab partner ever! He's very helpful and organized and he helps me find all kinds of scrap for my babies and he's really good at wiring and power supplies and he's actually getting really good at making things himself and you have to let him keep helping me build stuff!" Mei suddenly jumped up, ran over to her backpack, and dug out a small USB device. She hurried over to Izuku's computer and plugged it in. "I made a presentation!"

Izuku hurried after Mei, turning on the TV. "Um, she's really smart, mom," Izuku said. "We, um, we study together and my grades have never been better! I didn't get a single C after she and I started studying together!"

Inko frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Izuku, when on earth did you ever get a C?"

"Who cares, let's show you our baby!" Mei cheered, opening up her presentation.

"DUN DAN DUH DAAAAA!" Mei's cheery voice screamed from the speakers. Inko let out a squeal of surprise, and Izuku hastily lowered the volume before the neighbors started complaining.

The presentation was, mercifully, short and to the point. It showed a few short videos of Izuku testing out the Power Armor MK II, along with pictures of their current progress. It then outlined a five step plan for Mei and Izuku to get into UA.

"Step 1: We create an amazing baby together that-"

"She means the power armor!" Izuku interrupted, flushing bright red. "Not...not the other kind of baby!"

"Well what else would I mean?" Mei asked, clearly not understanding the implications. "Anyway, yes, we create the Power Armor MK III, along with several of the planned upgrades we've discussed."

"Step 2! Izuku uses it to earn the highest score ever on the UA entrance exam! Step 3, they let us into UA, where I join the support program and continue to create ultra cute babies with Izuku! Step 4, We show them off and everyone realizes that I'm the greatest inventor ever and that Izuku is an incredible hero, and then Step 5, we get all the funding we need and make babies together for the rest of our lives!'

"Inventions!" Izuku said, waving his hand frantically. "She means inventions! We create inventions together!"

Inko knelt on the floor in front of the TV, looking a bit overwhelmed. "Well, that's...that's quite the impressive goal you two have there, I suppose."

"So, will you support us in our efforts?" Mei demanded, leaning forward toward Inko, causing the older woman to lean back in discomfort.

"I...well...I guess...if you're going to be in the Support Course at UA...that does sound safe enough and...and it's a good dream for Izuku to have, so...so yes. I will support you two. As long as Izuku keeps his grades up! If I hear one more thing about Cs, young man, you won't leave this house until your grades go back up again!"

"Yes ma'am!" Izuku said, grinning widely. "And thank you!"

"Great!" Mei said, standing and looking around. "Now Izuku said something about a vacuum and scooter we could have for parts?"

Inko blinked, looking at Izuku, who only grinned and shrugged. She looked back at Mei, and managed to smile. "I...I think maybe I do."

_Authors Note:_

_Disclaimer: I am not a clinical psychologist. Data presented here is a fabrication, and any resemblance to real persons is unintentional, and is not in breach of confidentiality._

_Assessment Results Summary_

_Name: Hatsume, Mei_

_Date of Birth: April 16_

_Age: 15_

_Gender: F_

_Quirk: H-5_

_School: Nabu East Middle_

_Teacher: Onizuka, G_

_Test Results / Percentile Rank_

_Cognitive 139* / 99_

_Academic 109 / 73_

_Adaptive 69 / 2_

_Social 68 / 1_

_Speech 86 / 18_

_*Score considered to be of questionable validity._

_Assessors notes:_

_Cognitive_

_Mei's cognitive ability is a rough estimate, as the test does not score high enough to get an accurate result. Mei consistently scores at the top end of all subtests. The only subtests Mei has ever shown any difficulties in are language related subtests, and even in those her scores are well above the average range. The assessor feels the cognitive results are, if anything, low, as Mei has been observed to rapidly lose interest in subjects she does not find stimulating (ex: language). Her current score is the maximum possible on the cognitive evaluation._

_Academic_

_Mei scored at the top end in the math and science subtests, achieving a scaled score of 139 in both areas, the maximum possible. However, her scores in history, reading and especially writing were relatively low, the lowest result of 74 being achieved in the Written Expression Subtest. It should be noted that Mei is achieving passing grades in all her classes, and should not be separated from same age typical peers for the purpose of core academic instruction._

_Adaptive_

_Adaptive results attained from teacher and parent interviews. Mei is capable of functionally caring for herself. She can make meals and carry out complex hygiene routines independently. However, without frequent prompting, Mei fails to take care of herself. At school, Mei will often not eat unless prompted repeatedly by teachers. She often forgets to properly attend to hygiene needs unless reminded, even when provided with proper hygiene products and education. Mei also displays stereotyped behavior, frequently humming or bouncing on her toes. When she was younger, Mei had a compulsive need to count objects and calculate the area and volume of things around her, though with support these behaviors have mostly been brought to extinction. Mei's challenges in adaptive skills require specialized instruction._

_Social_

_While Mei has demonstrated the ability to have appropriate social conversations with peers and adults, she frequently fails to do so. Mei rarely initiates social interaction with peers, and when she does so her conversations are stereotyped and limited to a few topics that Mei finds interesting. When peers initiate social interaction, Mei will often not respond appropriately, or simply ignore them. Mei lacks concepts of personal space, appropriate volume, and when and where certain routines are appropriate. There have been multiple incidents where she went into the boys bathroom due to lines in the girls bathroom. Mei's difficulties in social behavior have impeded her ability to form friendships within her peer group. Mei requires specialized instruction in the area of social behaviors._

_Note: Recently, Mei has begun to talk about a friend she has made outside of school. Efforts should be made at home to maintain this peer relationship._

_Speech_

_Mei has improved greatly since her initial evaluation. While Mei was verbal from an early age, the majority of her speech was stilted and robotic. She has learned more social language, and will use her scripted responses appropriately. After many years of speech instruction, Mei has been dismissed from Speech/Language services, and has been placed on a consultation basis._

_Quirk_

_Mei's quirk is a heteromorphic type quirk inherited from her father's family line; she is a 5th generation quirk user. Mei's quirk is registered as Zoom, and grants her superior vision equal to about 100x the human norm. At this time, Mei's quirk is not believed to have any impact on her cognitive, academic, social, behavioral, or adaptive development._

_Diagnosis_

_Mei was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 5 by her family pediatrician. The diagnosis was upheld by the school clinical psychologist. Mei has been qualified for specialized educational services since the age of 5 under the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder._

_Final Recommendation:_

_Mei should continue to receive specialized services under the qualification area of Autism Spectrum Disorder for social and adaptational needs. Recommendation is 300 min/wk for non-core academic instruction._

…

What? That's actually what I do for a living. Anyway, I've decided that for the purposes of this story, I'm going to go ahead and write Mei as though she had a mild case of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I'd argue that this isn't even much of a stretch from her behavior in cannon, but I will be amplifying it at least slightly so you can consider that an AU element. For those interested, Mei in this story would score at about a 65 on the Gillingham Autism Rating Scale (GARS 2nd ed.) which indicates that she has a case of high functioning ASD.

(Yes I know there's a 3rd Edition now but I can't just use those copies for funsies like I can the old ones).


	4. The Builder's Rejection

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_4\. The Builder's Rejection_

_Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts._

_-Winston Churchill_

"Power Suit MK V, all electrical systems running!" Izuku said, trying hard to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He'd done most of the wiring himself, and he felt good about his work, but still.

"All systems are green! This baby is ready to go!" Mei cheered. "Initializing! Begin start up sequence!"

"Engaging," Izuku said, and closing his eyes, flipped the toggle that would turn the suit on. This time, there was no explosion, no fire, no sudden leak of hydraulic fluid. Instead, the suit turned on with a hum. "It's working!"

"Yes! I knew you wouldn't let mommy and daddy down, baby!" Mei cheered, running forward and hugging the Power Suit, and by extension, hugging Izuku as well.

"We did it!" Itzuku cheered, carefully striking a victory pose. He'd spent time practicing in the MK III and MK IV, so he knew how to keep his motions slow and steady.

"Well then, we're ready!" Mei declared. "Now we just have to head down to the UA headquarters to present our applications!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Izuku asked, feeling slightly nervous. "They did just invite you…"

"Well we haven't heard back about your application yet, which means we just have to go and show them just how important it is that you get into UA too!" Mei declared. "How am I supposed to show off all my babies if no one can see them in action?"

"R-r-right," Izuku agreed. "Um, so how do we get there?"

"Why, you carry me, of course!" Mei declared. "It's only a few kilometers. You're pretty good at running now, right? So you run over there in the Power Suit, and carry me and the rest of the gear! It's a perfect plan!"

"Um, won't we get in trouble for taking unlicensed gear out onto the street?" Izuku asked nervously.

"I thought about that!" Mei took out a few decals from a drawer and slapped them on to Izuku.

"Property of UA Support Department?" Izuku read. "Um, Mei, maybe we shouldn't-"

"Oh relax, we're showing this off at UA and they'll probably want our wonderful baby to use for themselves! Besides, once we have their unlimited materials we'll make you a better one!" Mei declared. Then she grabbed up her back pack and jumped at Izuku, who caught her by reflex. "Now, onward!"

Despite his misgivings, Izuku managed to open the shutter to Mei's room, then carry her and her bag of gear down the street. She'd put on a jumpsuit that stores sold that was modeled after the kind that UA students wore for the annual Sports Festival, so she looked like she belonged at UA herself. To Izuku's surprise, no one seemed all that shocked to see a suit of power armor carrying someone dashing through the streets of Musutafu. Apparently, the UA logo commanded enough respect that even police officers who saw them dash by didn't find anything suspicious going on.

It didn't take Izuku long to draw near to UA, by which point he had worked up a sweat, and the suit was starting to heat up.

"I'm overheating," he panted to Mei. "It's too hot in this suit! I forgot how hot the new power systems I installed could get, even with ventilation!"

"Hmm, we'll need some sort of cooling device for you in the next model," Mei mused. "But don't worry, we're almost there!"

UA High School had a massive, sprawling campus that took up a good portion of downtown Musutafu. The main building was many stories tall, made of four towers that were connected by a lower central hub. It gleamed in the early morning light, it's glass surface a beacon for all the world to see. The campus was protected by a visible 3 meter wall, but Izuku knew there were additional security systems that would prevent anyone unauthorized from trying to get over the wall, or pass through the main gates. When they arrived at the entrance, someone was waiting there for them.

"Hi Mr. Onizuka!" Mei called, waving excitedly.

The man turned, looking startled to see Mei hurtling towards him, carried in the arms of a massive suit of armor. This version of the Power Suit was fully enclosed, with a helmet that completely obscured Izuku's face.

"Mei? What is that? I know I told you to bring one of your inventions, but you didn't have to bring a whole robot!" Mr. Onizuka protested. He was a blond man, in his late middle years and going bald, though he had a comb over to try and hide it. He was wearing a tacky looking suit that didn't seem to fit him well, but Mei hopped out of Izuku's arms and skipped toward him, her arms spread wide.

"You said to bring one of my babies, and I brought our best one! This is the Power Suit, MK V, and it's daddy, Izuku Midoriya!" Mei said, wrapping Mr. Onizuka in an embrace. He returned it, which made Izuku feel a bit odd for a moment. He chalked that up to the heat.

"H-hello," Izkuku said, his voice echoing slightly from the voice modulator they'd installed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Onizuka."

"I thought...I thought that was just what you'd named one of your inventions," Mr. Onizuka said, blinking rapidly. "I didn't think you'd actually found a boy who willingly helped you in your lab every day, Mei."

"Well you said to practice my social skills, so I found a friend!" Mei proclaimed. "He's a great lab partner. The perfect papa for all my babies! He's even rigged the electrical systems for the suit! He added the voice modulator, and installed a gyroscope that helps with stabilization!"

"She, um, she means the suit, sir. Not, ah, actual babies. I-I-I'm not that kind of guy," Izuku hastily explained.

"I'm aware," Onizuka said, scratching the back of his head. He sighed. "Well, this interview was just for you, Mei. I'm not sure how they'll feel about you bringing a friend along…"

"Well, I always say, the more, the merrier!"

Izuku turned and gasped to see the person coming out of the UA gates, a man with what appeared to be an upside down excavator bucket on his head, though he was dressed in a suit instead of his usual hero costume today. "That's Power Loader, the Excavation Hero!"

"Call me Mr. Maijima," Power Loader said, coming out to examine Izuku. "My, my, this is quite an impressive specimen. Did your students build this themselves, Onizuka?"

"Actually, I don't know the boy at all," Onizuka admitted. "He must go to another school."

"I go to Mustafa Private Middle School actually, sir," Izukua said, bowing slightly. It was difficult to make such a motion in the Power Suit, but he managed it. "Mei and I met while she was scavenging for parts. I've been helping her for the last 9 months. We built this together."

"Really? Hmm. Well, come on in. I think I can whip up something to put you two through your paces," Power Loader said, leading them back inside.

They followed Power Loader into the main UA complex, past several buildings and into a testing site.

"I was going to take you into the support lab and have you show off your inventions there, but frankly I think you're ready for something a bit more advanced," Power Loader stated. "I've got a few of the robots for the Hero Exam in a few weeks set up here to test them out before the big day. Think you could take one of them on with that thing?"

"You bet!" Izuku said excitedly. "I actually applied for the Hero Course, but I haven't heard back yet!"

"Oh? Well, consider this a sneak peak I guess, there's already a lot of information available online about what to expect, so this wouldn't give you much of an advantage anyway," Power Loader declared. He motioned Izuku forward. "I'll activate one of the robots. You see if you can take it out."

The robot in question was painted green, with shield like arms that concealed weapons. It rode on a unicycle-like wheel and had a single, glowing red eye atop a snake-like neck. Izuku assumed a fighting stance, raising his arm and pointing it at the robot. It activated, letting out an electronic warble and charging forward.

"Grappling hook!" Izuku shouted. A spear like projectile launched from its mounting inside of Izuku's arm, but the robot raised its left shield, which the hook bounced off of. "No!" Thinking quickly, Izuku charged forward, dashing around to the side of the robot. He slammed out one fist, which connected with the side of the robot's head with a loud clang. The robot spun slightly, clearly rattled, and Izuku shoved it as hard as he could. It careened into a wall, bashing it's body and cracking it's case. The robot collapsed in a heap.

"Hey, not bad," Power Loader mused. "You have some sort of strength enhancing quirk?"

"Um, I-" Izuku began, but Mei interrupted.

"Nope! He's totally quirkless! What you see before you is purely the result of spectacular engineering and inventiveness from me, Mei Hatsume, and from the pilot, Izuku Midoriya! We've worked hard to create the most spectacular support equipment, from only scraps we scavenged off the streets! And bought with our severely limited funds."

She leaned in close to Power Loader, far past what most people found comfortable, but the Excavation Hero didn't back down. "Just imagine what we could do with proper funding and materials! Think about what a great fit for the Support Program I would be, and what an awesome Hero Course candidate Midoriya would be! Together, we're unstoppable!"

"I am impressed," Power Loader mused, rubbing his chin. He glanced at Izuku, who was feeling slightly embarrassed his condition had been revealed. "Quirkless, you say? That power came purely from your device?"

"I-I also have been training really hard!" Izuku said, raising his arm hesitantly. "I've done extensive physical conditioning, and my grades are really good! I sent my test scores to UA and everything with my application!"

"Hmm. Well, let's go to the lab so I can pull you up," Power Loader said. He led them back to the main UA building to a rear entrance, where Izuku had to climb out of the Power Suit.

"This is a beautiful piece of engineering," Power Loader observed, examining it carefully. He took several minutes to open panels and check various systems. It made Izuku especially nervous when he eyed the wiring and how he'd connected the various systems to their power supplies, capacitors, and back up batteries. He'd had to jury rig most of it, but it did work. "Hard to believe two kids built it out of a bunch of scraps in less than a year."

"That's because I'm a genius, and Midoriya is a super hard worker!" Mei declared, wrapping her arm around Izuku's shoulder and pulling him close. "Hatsume and Midoriya! Remember that name, because our babies are going to change the world!"

"S-s-she means inventions," Izuku clarified, blushing slightly and looking down.

"Sure she does," Power Loader chuckled. "I was 15 once too, kid. Hmm. Well, I can definitely see room for improvement here. The work is a bit rough, and I bet this thing is hotter than a tin roof. You look pretty sweaty there."

"Our next iteration will include air conditioning!" Mei declared. She dashed forward, pointing into the helmet. "You see those wires? Izuku saved up all his money and bought a VR headset, then configured it to take input through this headset! It helps modulate the movements of exoskeleton and gyroscope we installed. Just like Iron Man's suit!"

"Ironman? I'm not familiar with that particular hero," Power Loader said with a shrug. "Well, come on inside. Show me what else you got while I look up Midoriya here on the system."

Mei happily pulled out several devices, a few of which Izuku had helped her with. One was an early prototype of a pulse weapon similar to the ones Iron Man had installed on his suits. "I think I can use them to help control flight, once we get a good enough power source," Mei explained. "Midoriya has sketches of someone he calls Kacchan who uses explosions to propel himself through the air, and Iron Man used the same thing to help him fly. I don't know if we can get enough lift for true flight, but assisted leaps would allow for traversal of tall buildings or rough terrain."

"Who is this Iron Man you keep talking about?" Power Loader said as he typed something on a computer at his desk. "I've never heard of him. Is he foreign?"

"Um, k-k-kinda," Izuku stammered. "He's, um, American. But he's not real! It's a comic book, one about a quirkless hero, from the before times."

"Oh, that. Well, I never cared much about that kind of stuff," Power Loader said dismissively. "But if it gives you kids ideas, more power to you. Ah, here we go. Midoriya, Izuku. Says here you applied for the Hero Course. You're flagged for denial, due to your quirkless status."

"What?" Izuku said, going pale. "But, y-you saw me! I can be a hero! I took out that robot, no problem!"

"Your gear took that robot out," Power Loader said absently, typing something in. "Well, I'll just change that. I'm putting you in for the Support Course."

"The S-s-suport Course?" Izuku asked. "I...I wanted to go into the Hero Course…"

"I heard you the first time, Midoriya." Power Loader looked up, frowning. "Look, I'm sorry, but we don't let quirkless individuals take the exam for or enter into the Hero Course. That course is dangerous. Even kids with strong quirks get hurt. Someone like you could get themselves killed. But, from what I've seen, I'm more than willing to let both you kids in on recommendation to my course, the Support Class. I suppose you'll want to be in the same class?"

"Now wait just one moment!" Mei protested, planting her hands on her hips. "That is not what we said! Izuku wants to be the muscle, I'm the brains! I make the gear, he tests it and uses it, so we can get funding and make babies together forever! Just who do you think you are, changing that beautiful plan?"

"The man in charge of admissions to the Support Course," Power Loader said dryly. "I could just deny you both, if you're going to be obstinate about it."

"Mei, it's OK," Izuku said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He felt tears in his eyes, and wiped them away with one hand. "This is...this is a start, anyway. If I get into the Support Course at UA, at least I'm closer to my dream than if I get rejected. And besides...it would be nice to be in the same class as you. To have a friend to work with. I'd like that. Wouldn't you?"

Mei frowned. "Well, I don't know. I've never had a friend at school before."

Mr. Onizuka let out a loud sigh. "Mei, what have we talked about?"

"Yeah, yeah, social skills. I mean, yes, Izuku! I am your friend! And I want to make babies with you in the same class!"

"She means-"

"We know," Power Loader and Mr. Onizuka said together.

"Great, then I'll just put you both in class 1-H," Power Loader declared. "Midoriya, you might get a letter of rejection. Just ignore that, I'll make sure you get your letter of acceptance and call your parents to let them know what happened. You should have just applied to the Support Course. If you can rig electrical systems like those you're a shoe in. Why did none of your teachers recommend you?"

"They, um, well, they don't think-" Izuku stammered, meaning to say that his teachers didn't know, but Power Loader cut him off, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Ah. Right, well, Quirkless prejudice is a problem. But if you prove yourself here, you won't have to worry about it. And I'll go to bat for you with the administration. Leave the suit here, I'll show it to them if they have any questions."

"Oh, ok. Um, is that all? Do we have to take a test or anything?" Izuku asked.

Power Loader shrugged. "I have your grades right here, and I already knew what Mei scored. Honestly, I couldn't care less how good you are at taking tests. What matters is what you can make, and both of you can obviously make some top quality stuff. Onizuka's been bugging me for six months about this amazing student he had. He's come to me with good recommendations in the past, but I have to admit you two blew me away today. You'll be good fits for my class. We've got plenty of odd ducks in the Support Course."

"Just promise me one thing," Mei said as they left the building. She flung her arms around the Power Suit. "Take extra good care of my baby! Don't leave it out in the rain and make sure you polish it every day! Otherwise it gets lonely."

Power Loader chuckled. "Don't worry, your creation is in good hands. I'll make sure she's well taken care of."

"Well OK then. Be good, sweetie! Mommy and daddy love you very much and will be back for you soon with lots of upgrades!"

At the entrance, Mr. Onizuka and Power Loader parted ways with the two students, leaving them to walk back home by themselves.

"I can't believe we have to wait another three months to start!" Mei complained. "Mr. Majima even took our baby! Ugh, we'll have to find something new to work on, Midoriya!"

Izuku was silent, still going over what had happened. He couldn't get into the UA Hero program without a Quirk. It was likely he couldn't get into any reputable hero program as a Quirkless individual, and besides if he were separated from Mei, he would lose any hope he had of acquiring the gear he would need to become a Hero. Plus, she was still the only person who had ever shown any belief that he could become a Hero.

Thankfully, Mei was fully capable of carrying on a conversation by herself, and rambled on about her various plans for the new "babies" they'd be making together and how Izuku should wire them. Izuku let it wash over him for a while as he pondered the future, but then Mei said something that jerked him back to reality.

"You really were just like a hero when you took out that robot! One punch! Bang! It's like you knew just what to do! I knew you would be a great lab partner! Someday, you're going to be the world's greatest hero, Izuku, and it's our babies that will make you that!"

Izuku stopped, his emotions overcoming him. Mei continued on for a few paces, as Izuku hung his head, covering his face with his hands and beginning to weep. When she noticed he wasn't walking with her any longer, Mei stopped, turning around and looking at Izuku oddly. "What's wrong? Are you upset you didn't get into the Hero Course or something?"

Tears started to trickle down Izuku's face, and he scrubbed at them, trying to control himself. "N-n-no. I m-m-mean, yes, I am. I've w-w-wanted to b-b-be in that course all my life, but...but-"

"Hey."

Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Mei smiling at him. "It's OK! We can just keep making babies together! It's not like you can't take the Hero License Test or whatever even if you're not in the Hero Course! We'll just make such amazing babies together that everyone will have to see how cute they are!"

"T-t-thank you, Mei," Izuku said, wiping his eyes and smiling at her. "That...that means a lot to me. You… you're the only one who believes in me, in my dream."

"Well of course I do. You're the only one who believes in me!" Mei declared. Then she paused, frowning. "Hey, did you just call me Mei?"

Izuku's eyes widened. "I-I-I'm sorry, I know that's probably too informal of me-"

"It's about friggin' time! Do you know how confusing it is for you to keep calling me Hatsume even when we're with my family? I don't even know who you're talking to half the time! You're worse than I ever was at looking at people when you talk to them! Did no one tell you you're probably ASD too? See, we're totally alike! That's why you're the best lab partner ever! Now I know just what will cheer you up! We're going to make a super awesome baby together that will turn you into an amazing hero! I've been reading those Batman comics you left lying around and I think you need a tool belt! We can put in a rebreather device, a laser cutter, maybe some smoke bombs-I've always wanted to make smoke bombs, and-"

Izuku wiped his eyes and hurried after Mei, who continued to list off various devices they could create together. Somehow, even though he'd faced an enormous setback, he felt better. He would be a hero, as long as at least one person believed in him, he could do it.

_Authors Note:_

_Disclaimer: I am not a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), School Based Behavioral Health (SBBH) Counselor, or Clinical Psychologist. The depicted information is fictional. Any resemblance to real persons is unintended, and this is not a breach of confidentiality. _

_Transfer 504 Review_

_Name: Midoriya, Izuku_

_Age: 15_

_Date of Birth: July 15_

_Sex: M_

_Quirk: *See Assessment_

_School of Origin: Aldera Junior High_

_Case Manager:_ _Horikoshi, K_

_School of Receipt: UA High_

_Results current as of year 8 (further testing waived). _

_Test_ _Results /_ _Percentile Rank_

_Cognitive_ _110 /_ _76_

_Academic_ _113_ / _81_

_Adaptive_ _110 /_ _75_

_Social_ _92 /_ _30_

_Speech_ _87 /_ _19_

_Assessors Notes:_

_Cognitive: _

_Izuku's strengths are primarily in the areas of Fluid Reasoning (112) and Processing Speed (114); he is able to rapidly think on his feet and react to stimuli. His notably lowest score is the verbal area, in which he scored a 98. Points were not taken off for Izuku's speech impediment (see Speech results)._

_Academic_

_Izuku has generally high scores across all academic areas. His main strengths are in languages and history. His written expression score (109) is notably higher than his verbal expression score (97) being one standard deviation higher. Izuku typically scores at the top of his class in all areas. His overall class rank is in the top 10% of his school. There is no need for specialized instruction in the area of academics._

_Adaptive:_

_Izuku is very proactive in meeting his own needs. His mother reports he has long been able to care for himself, and is very conscientious of both hygiene and nutritional needs. Izuku is responsible for at least a portion of his own meal preparation and is able to make appropriate choices. There is no need for Adaptive services._

_Social:_

_Izuku is very isolated socially, due to his status as Quirkless (see Quirk Assessment, attached). This is exacerbated by Izuku's own speech impediment and his lack of drive to interact socially with peers. He rarely initiates contact within his own peer group, but does respond appropriately and enthusiastically when approached by others. He is able to converse about a wide range of subjects, though he does have a preferred set of subjects, as is typical. Currently, the team feels it would be detrimental to Izuku's social development to further isolate him from his peers for specialized instruction. The situation will be monitored, as per the standard 504 for quirkless individuals. _

_SBBH note: There is a history of depression in Izuku's family. He should meet with the SBBH counselor tri-annually for check ups. Both his mother and father have reported suicidal tendencies or thoughts. At this time, Izuku has not reported any such thoughts. This is in addition to standard Quirkless counseling per his 504. _

_Speech:_

_Despite progress that has been made over the previous school years, Izuku continues to display a pronounced stutter brought on by social anxiety. His social language is adequate, and he is able to communicate his wants and needs; the disability is entirely in speech production. At this time, upon parent request, speech services are being discontinued for Izuku. Therapy for social anxiety* is recommended. _

_*Note - Declined by parent. _

_Quirk_

_Izuku is the product of the union of two 4th generation quirk users. However, Izuku has failed to manifest any quirk. Testing conducted at the age of 5 indicates that Izuku does not possess the QR.16 gene. Izuku has been labeled as quirkless since the age of 5. _

_Diagnosis: _

_Izuku MIdoriya is not qualified for special education services at this time, and parent has declined further Speech/Language services. SBBH services will continue as per the Quirkless 504, and student mental health guidelines. _

_Received by UA High School _

_New case manager, Inui, R (SBBH)_

_Homeroom Teacher: Maijima, H_

_Note- Izuku originally applied to the Hero Course. However, as quirkless, he was slated for rejection. He was accepted into the Support Course on recommendation on March 13th (Maijma). Izuku is close to Mei Hatsume*, both were accepted for their collaboration on advanced support gear. Social interaction between the two should be encouraged, but monitored. _

_Case manager will continue counseling services. _

_*See case file, student has IEP under ASD (Sped minutes now to be provided primarily in gen ed setting by gen ed teacher)_

…

_I don't know about Japan's laws, but in the States Izuku's status as Quirkless would probably qualify him under 504 for classroom adaptations. His noted depressive tendencies would also flag his file for additional 504 services for counseling and therapy. _

_Consider all the teachers at UA being highly competent at their jobs to be my personal AU wish fulfillment scenario. _

_Yes, that means All Might too. _


	5. Alone Together

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_5\. Alone Together_

_Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with._

_-Tony Stark_

"Midoriya, Bakugo, I have to say, I'm immensely proud of both of you!" their teacher said, patting each of them on the shoulder. It was the last day of school, and Izuku was cringing at the sudden attention. For a moment, he thought Bakugo would erupt with anger, but instead the other boy just gave him a knowing smirk.

"Well, we both might have gotten into UA, but only one of us qualified for the Hero Course," Bakugo stated. "Deku's with all the other extras in the support course."

"Yes! But to make it in on recommendations alone! I had no idea you were such a talented inventor, Midoriya! It must have been all those things you learned during your years here," their teacher bragged.

Instead of correcting the teacher that it was Mei who helped him, Izuku just looked down, tapping his fingers together and blushing. Again, he expected Bakugo to lash out, being reminded that he'd had to work for his placement at UA while Izuku had simply been given a place, but Bakugo just laughed.

"Ha! I got the highest score of the entire year! I bet Deku just showed them something lame he'd cobbled together. At least you've figured out your place, nerd. Maybe if you work hard enough, I'll even let you make some of my gear!"

That got Izuku to look up, startled. "I would be honored to help someone as strong as you, Kacchan."

"Don't call me that," Bakugo hissed, for the first time showing his usual irritability. "From now on, you address me as Bakugou. I won't be associated with a damn extra like you, understand?"

"Now, now, boys, I'm sure you'll both do great things at UA. It's not every day we get to send two of our students to the top school in the country. And from my own homeroom class as well!" their teacher said, puffing himself up. "Make sure to remember me, when you both become famous."

"Pff. Sure," Bakugo said, turning to go. "It will remind me how great I've become, to remember what worthless trash I left behind!"

Their teacher seemed mortified at that, but Izuku bowed quickly to him. "Thank you very much, sir! I'll be sure to think about the things you've taught me as I attend UA!"

"Well, ahem, see that you do," the teacher ordered, looking mollified.

Izuku left, and for a moment, he almost called out to Bakugo. But then his hands formed into fists, and he glared after Bakugo, who continued to walk away, unconcerned about what was behind him.

"One day, one day you'll recognize me as a fellow hero, Kacchan!" Izuku whispered. "Because now, I have a friend who believes in me! I'll surpass even you, and become the most amazing hero the world has ever seen! The world's first and greatest quirkless hero!"

Mei, true to form, was already working when Izuku got to her workshop. "Izuku! Quick, come over here, I want to test these new smoke bombs!"

"No, wait, don't-" but it was too late. Mei detonated the smoke bomb inside of her own room, which of course set off the fire alarm, and caused the entire shop to have to be evacuated. A panicked customer called the fire department, even though there was no actual fire.

"Just...just go for a few hours, Mei," her mother said, shaking her head wearily. "This was your last day of Junior High! There was supposed to be a celebration! But now...we'll have to spend a long time cleaning up this mess."

"We could help, Mrs. Hatusme," Izuku offered tentatively.

She smiled at him, shaking her head. "No, not you Izuku. Take Mei somewhere and...and do something normal, for once. You two don't do anything but build things and study. It isn't right. You kids should have fun once in a while. Here. I was going to spend this on dinner tonight, but, well, I think maybe it's best if you two disappear until your father calms down, Mei. It's only 10,000 yen, but I'm sure you can do something fun with it."

"Yes ma'am!" Mei said eagerly, snatching the money away. "Come on Izuku, you heard her! We'll keep ourselves busy for a few hours!"

They hadn't gone far before Mei started giggling maniacally, holding out the money before her. "This is enough money to get all kinds of stuff! We could get some more coils of tungsten wire, ooo, or a few large resistors or-"

"Not this time." Izuku reached out and snatched the money out of Mei's hand.

"What!? Izuku, what are you doing! Give that back ! We need more stuff for our babies!" Mei squawked, drawing the attention of several passers by.

"It's not what it looks like-"

"Damn deadbeat dads. Kids these days, no respect," one of the pedestrians muttered, a woman with a head like a parrot.

Izuku sighed as Mei continued to try to take the money back. Izuku frowned and held it away from her. "Mei! Look, we, we should take a day off. Let's...let's do something fun, like your mom said. We did just graduate from Junior High! We could go see a movie, or get something nice to eat."

Mei eyed Izuku. "Hmm. But we'll use the rest of the money for things for our babies?"

Izuku sighed. "Yeah, OK. I do really want to make some new stuff before the semester starts. Maybe if I show Power Loader what I can do with the new gear, I could-"

"Right, then let's go do something fun!" Mei declared, grabbing Izuku's arm and hurrying forward. She paused after a few seconds, frowning and looking back at him. "Um, what's something fun we can do?"

"Er, we could see a movie?" Izuku suggested.

"Ok. What movie?" Mei demanded.

"Um…" Izuku scratched his head. It had been a long time since he'd had enough free time to keep up with new movie releases. "I think...I think a new All Might Movie came out? But...but I don't really want to see that…"

"Eh, that sounds boring anyway," Mei said dismissively. Then she brightened. "I know! Those comic books you're always reading are kinda fun! They have some neat ideas in them! We could go get more of those! I bet they're even cheap!"

"Yeah, sure," Izuku agreed hastily. Now that he thought about it, what was something fun he wanted to do? He'd never been much of one for amusement parks or arcades. And he really didn't want to see a movie with All Might in it right at this moment. His former idol had dramatically fallen from grace in his esteem. These days, he'd no longer had much All Might memorabilia, having sold most of it for money to buy new materials to use with Mei, or for training weights and gear.

Come to think of it, Izuku really only did a few things these days. He went to school, he studied with Mei, he worked on inventions with Mei, he tested inventions with Mei, and he trained using The Hero workout program. At first his mother had been worried he'd been spending too much time away from home, but ever since Power Loader had personally called her to congratulate her on his acceptance to UA via recommendation, those worries had melted away.

"I'm so happy that you've found a new dream to pursue, Izuku!" his mother had said, hugging him tightly. "You'll be an amazing Support! You've always been talented, and a hard worker, and now you have something you can really do to channel all that into!"

Izuku knew his mother had been trying to encourage him, but it just made him bitter. Not even she believed in him. Only Mei did, and thus, it was with Mei that Izuku spent his time. He didn't trust his dreams with anyone else.

Izuku and Mei took the train to Coruscant Comics in a comfortable silence broken only by Mei's humming. Mei alternated between periods of manic babbling and tuneless humming, depending on whether or not she had something she was obsessed with to talk about. Izuku didn't mind either, but it was nice to have some time with Mei where they weren't either working or studying. It almost felt like something normal friends would do, though Izuku would be the first to admit that he and Mei did not exactly have what anyone would call a normal friendship.

"Well look who it is!" Mr. Azara said as Izuku walked in. "And now, I know why you haven't been coming in as often! Midoriya! You should have told me you had a girlfriend!"

As Izuku went beat red and spluttered, Mei walked straight up to the counter. "Hello. I am Mei Hatsume. We have been told to do something fun. I think that the Iron Man and Batman comics are fun. We would like to buy some. Or possibly any schematics relating to the support devices that Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark possess. Oh! If you have any schematics for a better variety of smoke bomb, I would really like those too!"

Mr. Azara laughed as Izuku shuffled up beside Mei. "Well well, you've managed to find a lady as single minded as you are, Midoriya! And a cute one too. Well, you're a fan of Iron Man and Batman, are you?"

Mei nodded. "As an inventor, I found reading about the exploits of fellow inventors particularly entertaining. They gave me so many ideas for my babies! We modified number 17 into a grappling hook for increased mobility and drawing in baddies! It was so impressive that Izuku and I were both accepted into UA on recommendation! I'm a genius, and he's going to be the best hero in the world!"

"You got into UA!" A huge grin split Mr. Azara's face. "My God Midoriya, you actually did it! And on recommendation too! Which course? From your talk of inventions, I assume the Support Course?" 

Izuku nodded, still feeling embarrassed that Mr. Azara had assumed Mei was his girlfriend. She didn't think about Izuku like that, even if he was having a harder and harder time not thinking of her of less as just a friend and more of well, a pretty girl who was his friend. "Y-y-yeah, um, that's the one. But you see, Mei isn't-"

"That's fantastic! This calls for a celebration! I think I might have something for you two kids. Hold on." Mr. Azara ducked into the back of the shop, while Mei hummed to herself and bounced slightly on her feet.

Izuku was busy studying his feet and wondering if Mei would actually be offended that Mr. Azara had said she was his girlfriend, or if Mei, as usual, hadn't picked up on that social cue, when someone cleared their throat behind them. Izuku spun to see who it was, while Mei continued to fidget, still looking at the doorway Mr. Azara had gone through.

"Well well, we don't usually get such...attractive specimens in this establishment," a fat, greasy skinned teen a few years older than Izuku and Mei with prominent acne said in a nasally voice. Izuku vaguely recognized him as a regular at the comic store named 'd never done more than exchange a few words on the lastest comics when Izuku had visited the store in the past. The other boy had been pleasant enough then, but now he was leering at Mei in a manner that both made Izuku uncomfortable and vaguely angry for some reason.

"Hello, I am talking to you," Koji repeated.

Mei finally glanced at him. "Yes, hello. I am Mei Hatsume. I am here for comics."

"Well, this is a comic book store," Koji said, folding his arms over his chest. "I happen to know a great deal about comics. What do you wish to know? I wouldn't mind discussing such things with a female, if she weren't too dull."

"Do you know about Iron Man and Batman?" Mei demanded. "Do you know how to replicate the items on Batman's tool belt? I've been working on making smoke bombs, but I think I need a better ventilated workspace. I'm considering trying out some laser devices for slicing through locks, but I don't have the necessary power devices yet."

Koji blinked at that. "Iron Man? Batman? Those are lame, old comics. Why aren't you interested in more interesting heroes? But then, you are with Midoriya. He's mostly interested in All Might, who is far too mainstream, but he does have an impressive amount of knowledge of other, more interesting heroes as well."

"I see. Well, I'm only interested in those two. It was nice to talk to you." With that Mei turned right back around, and began humming to herself again.

Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, but then Koji reached out and tapped Mei on the shoulder. "Hello, excuse me? I was not done talking to you."

Mei glanced at him, but Izuku found himself stepping forward. "Koji, have you read up on the latest issue of All Star All Might? I haven't been reading them as often lately."

"What are you talking about, Midoriya? You know All Might is far too mainstream for a conossour like me," Koji sniffed.

Just then, Mr. Azara came back, holding a stack of DVD cases. "Koji! Leave the poor girl alone. Go drool over something else. She's already taken, or didn't you see her come in with Midoriya?"

"Well, I just thought-"

"That would be a first. Go bother someone else, or I won't hold your limited edition His Purple Highness figure when it comes in next week!"

"Ugh. Fine. She was rude anyway." Koji walked off, and Mei smiled at Izuku.

"I bet he's ASD! He has no social skills." 

Izuku's jaw dropped open. Mei's total non sequitur had caught him completely off guard. Normally, it was Mei displaying a deplorable lack of social graces. How on earth could she recognize those same shortcomings in someone else?

For his part, Mr. Azara nearly dropped his stack of DVD cases, he was laughing so hard. "Ha ha! Oh, he certainly might be! Ha ha, Midoriya! Where did you find this girl?" 

"In a dumpster," Mei said helpfully. "He saved me and my baby."

"Now that is a story you'll have to tell me some time," Mr. Azara chuckled, dapping at his eyes with a handkerchief. "She seems like a perfect fit for you, Midoriya! You two make a cute couple. But here, these are for you two."

Izuku took the offered case, hoping Mei would continue to ignore the commentary, and read, "Batman, the Animated Series? Huh, that's interesting."

Mei peered at the DVD, then made a face. "Ugh, it's in English, with subtitles? I hate English."

"What? I don't accept that sort of Heresy in my store!" Mr. Azara declared in mock outrage, planting his hands on his hips. "Begon, infidel! We are a purely subs over dubs establishment."

"Ok. Come on Izuku, we can go do something else fun. Or we could just go to the electronics store and get stuff for our babies!"

"Um, Mei, he's joking," Izuku said, catching Mei's arm. "He um, he makes jokes like that sometimes."

"Oh." Mei turned around and shrugged. "Sorry, I don't really get jokes. Was that sarcasm? Mr. Onizuku says I'm bad at sarcasm."

"It might have been," Mr. Azara said, shaking his head. "You really would fit in around here, Mei. But, if you don't like English, I have Batman: Ninja and Ironman 2010, in the original Japanese."

"Ok. How much? We only have 2000 yen," Mei declared.

Izuku winced. That was only a fifth of what they had, and old stuff like this was usually expensive.

"Well, how about it's free to borrow? I bet you two just graduated from Junior High, right? And you got into UA! That's pretty great. Think of this as my graduation gift to you. Just bring them back when you're done."

"Really?" Izuku gasped. He smiled and bowed. "Thank you so much, Mr. Azara!"

"Yes, thank you!" Mei agreed, reaching for the DVDs. Then she glanced at Izuku, did a quick bow in the direction of Mr. Azara, and snatched the offered DVDs. "This fulfills our fun obligation, does it not Izuku?" 

"Well, I mean, we should actually watch some of it, Mei," Izuku said he hurried after Mei. He waved one last time to Mr. Azara, who was gathering up the other DVDs and chuckling to himself. He winced. He hadn't ever corrected the store owners assumption that he and Mei were dating, but it was too late now, especially since they'd received such a wonderful gift.

"Well we can't go back and watch them now, my mom's probably still getting dad to stop being mad," Mei said. "So, I suppose we should go shopping!"

"Maybe we could go to my place and watch them?" The suggestion was out of Izuku's mouth before he could force himself and stop to think. What sort of boy would Mei think he was, inviting her back to his place to watch movies together? Oh, wait, right. She was Mei. She'd probably just ask if he had any more spare vacuums.

"That is acceptable," Mei agreed. "Especially since we still have the 10000 yen! Oh, there are so many wonderful things we can buy for our babies!"

"Yeah, um, why don't we pick up some food first. I'll text my mom and let her know we're coming over and bringing dinner."

"Ugh! Fine. As long as it's not too expensive!" Mei stated. "But we should really spend at least a little time planning on what we're going to build next!"

"Well, maybe the movies will have some ideas," Izuku suggested. "Ninja's are supposed to have really cool equipment, right? Maybe we can get some ideas from Batman: Ninja."

"Very well. That doesn't sound like too much of a waste of time," Mei agreed, though she then turned the DVD case over and began reading the back, humming to herself and smiling. She might actually be looking forward to it.

They ended up getting some hot meals from the corner store near Izuku's apartment. His mother excitedly greeted them at the door, having set out places for them to eat as they watched the movie. "Ohhh! My baby boy, graduated from Junior High! And going to UA! And you're having a friend over for movies! This is so wonderful!"

"I-i-it's not like it's a date or anything!" Izuku protested.

"Really?" Mei asked, sounding confused. "I thought we were having fun. Isn't that a date? Mr. Onizuku told me about dates, and this sounds like one." She looked to Inko. "Do you think this is a date? I think Izuku is confused."

"It can be a date if you want it to be one, sweetie," Inko said, patting Mei's arm. "Now come inside. Oh, you brought drinks! That's good, I was worried we wouldn't have anything you liked!"

"I run on coffee, energy drinks, and the occasional Strawberry Yoohoo!" Mei declared.

As it turned out, Mei was perhaps the worst sort of person to watch a movie with. She constantly commented on what was happening, remarking on whether or not something was impossible, or declaring that she could build a better version of whatever was currently on screen. As it happened, however, Izuku didn't mind, as Batman: Ninja, was a completely nonsensical movie that he likely would have found dull and boring without Mei's color commentary. He ended up laughing and poking fun at what was happening along with Mei, while Inko just sat on the couch, eating popcorn and crying.

Izuku was fairly certain his mother was convinced that he was having his first date, and that such an emotional event was sending her into a tizzy. This didn't really feel much like a date to Izuku. There were no awkward pauses, he and Mei didn't stare into each others eyes, or call each other pet names, or accidentally touch hands, or do any of the things he would have expected on a real date. And there definitely wasn't a dramatic love confession. Instead, he felt comfortable, and was just enjoying being with his friend.

At the end of the movie, he smiled at Mei. "That was fun."

"Really? I thought that movie was dumb. You seemed like you didn't like it either," Mei mused. "Did you really like it? I thought you were smarter than that."

"No, it was bad," Izuku laughed. "But it was fun watching it with you. Especially when you pointed out how impossible those transforming castles were!"

"There is no way steam engines or coal powered electrical plants could have provided enough power to do any of that! And the physics just didn't work! They didn't explain how any of that worked! And how does a bomb rupture the space time continuum and send them backwards in time to Japan, when they're from America?" Mei ranted.

Izuku laughed. "Exactly! And the part with the monkey's forming a giant monkey? Their body heat would have killed them all!"

"See? That's exactly my point! It was so dumb!" Mei agreed. She frowned. "Say, was this fun? Was watching the movie, even if we didn't like it, fun?"

"I think so. At least, watching it with you was fun. Especially since we got to make fun of it together!"

"Hmm. Well, OK. This was fun. But I think making our babies together is more fun!" Mei declared.

Inko let out a gasp, and Izuku had to jump up and pound her back until she coughed out the bit of popcorn she had choked on.

Mei frowned, tilting her head to one side. "Should I do something?"

"N-no, I'm fine, Mei," Inko gasped.

"She means the inventions!" Izuku hurriedly explained. "She calls them her babies! Well, our babies, really. But that's what she means! We, we don't do a-a-anything like, like that!"

"A-a-alright, Izuku, but I'm warning you! No funny business." Inko glared at her son. "If you were to do something to tarnish Mei's reputation, I wouldn't know what to do with you!" 

"That would be pretty hard. Everyone already thinks I'm super weird," Mei commented.

For some reason, that made both Izuku and his mother burst into laughter. After a moment, Mei laughed as well. "Yes! We are all very weird!"

"I think you're right," Izuku giggled. "But I wouldn't have it any other way, Mei."


	6. Social Skills

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_6\. Social Skills_

_You can't go back and change the beginning. But you can start where you are and change the ending._

_-C.S. Lewis_

Part of Izuku felt like the day he started High School was the best day of his life. He was going to UA, his dream school, and for once he had a real friend in his class that he was excited to see.

Another part of him felt like someone had just walked over the grave of his dreams. Could you really be a hero, him? Quirkless, rejected by the Hero Course, and with not even his parents believing in him.

"Izuku, I'm so proud of you! Here, this is from your father in America. He says `congratulations!'"

Izuku took the wrapped box, feeling his heart pound slightly. He almost never heard from his father. He opened it and his excitement came to an abrupt end. It was a set of precision tools, finely made, and very expensive. With them was a note:

Good job son, you'll be a great support. - Dad.

Of course. His father didn't believe in him. Not that Izuku expected anything better of a man he barely knew. He forced himself to smile. "Wow, it's great. I'm sure this will be helpful to Mei and I as we build things."

He would use these tools. He would use them to make himself into a hero, the greatest hero in the world, one who saved lives, and believed even in those who no one else did. He hugged his weeping mother one last time, and headed out of the door.

Izuku was early to UA, but not as early as Mei was. He wasn't surprised to find her already at the support building, her uniform already dirty from grease and sweat as she worked on the Power Suit.

"Don't worry baby, mommy's here, and she brought upgrades, just like she promised!" Mei was saying to the invention when Izuku walked up.

"Good morning, Mei," Izuku greeted her.

She looked up at him and smiled. "I already calculated the area of the classroom and the volume! It's safe and we can work on our babies here! Ready to become a hero?"

Hope stirred in Izuku's heart. "Yes! I will be the world's greatest hero!"

"Ha! And it will be our babies that get you there! Hey, what's that you got?" Mei jumped down off of the Power Suit and hurried over, and Izuku set up the tool set.

"A gift from my dad. They're really nice."

"Oh ho ho, these are beautiful, Izuku! We'll make such wonderful babies together! Now come on, I found a better power source just sitting around in Mr. Power Loader's lab!"

"Right!" Soon Izuku was also up to his elbows in grease and sweat, only remembering to make himself and Mei take off their jackets. The new tools were useful, and soon Izuku was underneath the suit, rewiring the new power source.

"It looks like we need higher grade wire, Mei!" he called. "This set is being overloaded by the voltage. And also some new capacitors, these ones are burning out."

He reached out a hand, and someone placed a set of well wrapped thick copper wire in it. "Thanks, Mei!"

"I'd say you're welcome, but it's time for class to start. Come on, kid. At least let me take roll before you get started."

Izuku sat up with a jerk, banging his head on the chassis. He let out a groan, then slid out from under the Power Suit to look up at the amused face of Power Loader.

"Um, sorry, Mr. Power Loader, sir!"

"I told you, in class you call me Mr. Maijima. Now come on, it's time."

Izuku quickly got up to see Mei looking disappointed as Mr. Maijima motioned for her to go inside.

"But our baby, we-"

"Mr. Onizuku warned me about you, Hatsume. I'm telling you right now: I'm not mad you stole the power source out of one of the testing robots. I'm actually sort of impressed. I will be upset if you don't come in and take attendance and meet your classmates."

"Oh, fine. But I thought at UA we could make babies all the time," Mei complained as she headed inside.

"Please don't say that, Mei," Izuku groaned. "And did you really steal the power source out of one of the robots?!"

"It was just sitting there, no one was watching it," Mei said with a shrug. "Besides, I'm sure they have lots of those."

Inside the classroom, the rest of the class was waiting. To Izuku's surprise, there were two seats right at the front next to one another. When he got closer, he saw that Mei and put her backpack on one, and a placard with "Izuku" on the next desk. He smiled at the boy next to him, who had a head shaped like that of a snail, but before he could say anything Mr. Maijima got up in front of the class.

Today Mr. Maijima was dressed in his hero uniform, which consisted of the excavator bucket helmet, special gauntlets to augment his Quirk, Iron Claws, a pair of blue jeans, and no shirt. Though for some reason, he did also have on a bright blue tie.

"Good morning, welcome to the Support Course, class 1H. You all already know me, I'm your homeroom teacher. You're here because you all want to learn to make support items to help heroes in the field, and-"

"That's not true," Mei interrupted, not even raising her hand. "Izuku wants to be a hero, you just wouldn't let him in the hero course even though our baby totally annihilated that robot."

"She means the Power Suit!" Izuku said, desperately turning to look at their classmates. To his chagrin, they now all stared at him in shocked amazement, instead of looking at Mei. Maybe that was better?

Mr. Maijima however, just turned to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out a small square of paper that had a grid on it and set it on Mei's desk. "You remember this, Mei?"

She glanced at it. "It's a point card."

"Uh huh. Guess what? You're starting out today with 0 points. You interrupt me again, and I'll have to take some away. You don't get enough points, you don't get to work on your inventions, and I take back my robot's power source. Mr. Onizuku told me exactly how to handle you."

"What?!" Mei grasped, holding the card in both her hands. "How could you do this to me! I thought at UA we got to spend all our time making amazingly cute babies!"

"She means inventions," Izuku groaned, his head face in his hands.

"Even at UA, you still have other classes, Mei. You still have to follow the rules. Which I shall now be going over, in explicit detail. Not just for you, mind, but all your classmates. Also, explosions are -50 points."

"What about Izuku?" Mei demanded, pointing at him. "Where's his point card? He gets to make babies with me too!"

"She means inventions," Izuku moaned, now covering his head with his arms.

"We get that," Mr. Maijima chuckled. "Izuku's points are tied to yours, Mei. And remember what I said about interrupting?"

Mei harrumphed, slouching in her desk and setting her head in her hands while impatiently tapping her foot, but she didn't say anything further.

"Excellent. Now, a few ground rules. First, let's talk about workshop safety. Now, you all have some experience, but..."

Izuku forced himself to sit up and pay attention, his face still flaming red. He glanced at Mei, who at first looked sullen, but slowly sat up eagerly and leaned forward, a manic grin on her face as Mr. Maijima talked about procurement policies, tool storage, workspace allocation, times the lab was open, and what personal protective equipment they should be using in the workshop.

However, Izuku couldn't help but notice the other students glancing at himself and Mei curiously. Izuku couldn't blame them; they had made quite a scene.

"Right, that covers it, we'll do introductions. Most of you already met each other at the entrance exams, but we've got two others who you might have noticed have joined us, having got in through recommendations. Hatsume, Midoriya, why don't you introduce yourselves."

Mei immediately bolted up, turning around and grinning at the rest of the class. Izuku got up and stood next to her, trying to meet the others staring eyes.

"Hi! I'm Mei Hatsume, and this is my friend, Izuku Midoriya! We're both amazing inventors who make wonderful babies together-"

"-she means inventions," Izuku said, flushing and looking around wildly.

"-and Izuku is going to be the world's greatest hero, using our incredibly cute babies!"

"Um, shouldn't he be in the hero course then?" the snail boy asked.

"They wouldn't let him in, even though baby number 47, the Power Suit, totally destroyed that stupid robot! He would have gotten the highest score ever if they didn't have that stupid rule about not letting in quirkless people!" Mei ranted.

Izuku blushed and looked down as soon as the whispers started. He'd heard them all before.

"He's quirkless?"

"Why'd they let him in if he doesn't even have a quirk?"

"She seems really weird."

That last one wrenched Izuku's guts, and he suddenly looked up, glaring at his classmates. "Mei is an incredible inventor! She works harder than anyone I know, and makes stuff even pro heroes would be jealous of! Don't you dare mock her!"

That shut everyone up, the other students blinking in shock at the previously quiet and mumbling Izuku whose gaze now held fire.

"Oh yeah, and I have autism or something. But Izuku has social skills so if you have any questions talk to him," Mei said, pointing. "That's it. Can we start building now?"

"No, now the rest of your classmates are going to introduce themselves. Try to listen politely," Mr. Maijima ordered.

It was a struggle to pay attention to the rest of the students' introductions, but Izuku made himself at least listen well enough to remember their names. Mei, on the other hand, had gotten out a piece of paper and was happily drafting plans for modifications to the Power Suit as well as various other devices to be mounted on it. One part of the drawing made Izuku blush, as it depicted him wearing the armor and was labeled "SuperHero."

Once introductions were made, Mr. Maijima had everyone line up to attend the opening ceremonies. Mei was about to grumble, but Mr. Maijima passed by her desk, ticking off one of the boxes on the point card.

"Next time, actually pay attention while others are talking and you'll get more," he stated simply, and Mei immediately lined up without further complaint.

Izuku took his place next to Mei at the head of the line, noticing that the other students gave both of them just a little bit more space than they did the others. For her part, Mei was oblivious, humming to herself and following after Mr. Maijima. The other students whispered to each other as they walked, but no one talked to Izuku. Part of him was a bit disappointed, but most of him accepted it. He'd long isolated himself from his classmates as a defense mechanism.

"So Izuku, I'm thinking that we need to add more weapons! That power supply probably has enough juice to mount a laser, and I think that would be perfect for baby number 51!"

Izuku looked up to see that Mei had fallen in beside him happily swinging her arms as she strode along.

"Well, maybe, but then we'd need to rewire everything. I actually think weapons should have an independent power supply. I drew something up like that in one of my notebooks, I'll show you later. But I was thinking, what if they were modular? We could swap out different gear for different missions! After all, there's lots of different villains with different quirks we could come across, and we need to be able to outfit number 47 to confront each of those situations. I'm thinking we should have multiple modules, like the grappling hook, or other devices."

"Yes, yes! That's perfect! Oh, we can create so many different babies, and we won't have to leave any of them out!"

Izuku blushed and looked back at their classmates, but they all immediately found somewhere else to look.

"Modular gear is a good idea," Mr. Maijima commented. "When a hero is in the field, there's no telling what you'll come up against. Adaptability is important, and support gear can both enhance your own Quirk, or cover for your vulnerabilities. Now talk about that later, we're supposed to be listening. Don't embarrass me, Hatsume. Keep her under control, Midoriya."

They had arrived at the opening ceremony, and Izuku looked around curiously to see if he could spot Bakugo amidst the other first year students. To his surprise, it appeared that an entire class was missing, which seemed odd. Still, he didn't have much time to consider this, as a man with tall blond hair jumped out onto the stage as music suddenly blared.

"That's Present Mike!" Izuku gasped, pointing excitedly, but Mei didn't seem all that interested.

"GOOD MORNING UA!" Mike shouted. "Welcome to a brand new year! Which is of course going to be-"

"PLUS ULTRA!" the students roared out the school motto, even Izkuku. Mei just frowned and bounced on her toes impatiently.

"We give a warm welcome back to all our second and third year students, and a hearty welcome to our first year students! Even those in Mr. Aizawa's class, who apparently have more important things to do than attend our opening ceremonies. Give me a break! But anyway, before we get going, here's the one, the only, the incredible, PRINCIPAL NEZU! Can I get a big hand?!"

"She's got two," Mei mused as everyone applauded.

Izuku glanced over and saw one first year student, a girl, who had inflated her hands to massive size and was loudly clapping and cheering. It made Izuku a bit jealous, as he saw she was with class 1B, one of the Hero Course sections.

Out onto the stage walked a white animal in a formal suit, who jumped up onto a box placed by the microphone by Present Mic. "Hello everyone!" Nezu said in a cheerful voice. "It's me, the one who could be a cat, or a dog, or even a bear, but most relevantly, I'm you're principal!"

There were polite cheers and applause, but Mei turned to Izuku and frowned. "Why'd they let an animal be the principal?"

"You didn't know?" Izuku asked, surprised. "Nezu's an animal that manifested a quirk. It makes him even smarter than most humans."

"Well, he's not smarter than me. What's he ever invented?" Mei demanded.

"Shh, just listen, so we get to work on the Power Suit later," Izuku shushed.

Mei grunted and turned back around, folding her arms and looking bored behind her goggles as she bounced on her toes.

Izuku listened to Nezu's speech, which was the standard boilerplate stuff welcoming everyone and encouraging them to do their best.

"But of course, I know I'm not the one you really want to see!" Nezu said as his speech wound down. "I'm here to confirm: the rumors are all true! This year, our staff will be joined by the one, the only, All Might!"

"That's right students!" a loud cheery voice boomed from behind them. Everyone gasped and turned, to a caped figure silhouetted against the sun atop the building. "Fear not for your education! For I am here!"

Izuku felt his blood run cold as All Might leapt over everyone's heads and onto the stage. He found himself gritting his teeth, hands clenched, as he glared at All Might. The man who had once been his idol, his hero, the one who had nearly been the final nail in the coffin of his dreams, was once more standing over him. But Izuku knew the truth: All Might wasn't this grinning giant. He was a weak, skeletal figure with sunken eyes and a battered body, who killed the dreams of children. Why were they letting him teach?

"Izuku?" Mei said, suddenly stepping close to him. "Are you OK?"

Izuku realized his entire body was tensed up, his hands balled into fists at his side, and that he was glaring at All Might with a half snarl on his lips.

Forcing himself to relax, he smiled at Mei. "Yeah, I just, well, I was a big of an All Might fan, you know?"

"Wow, really? I thought you hated All Might. I don't really like him either." Mei picked just the wrong moment to say that, in her loud, clear voice, right into the middle of a hushed silence.

Everyone turned to stare at both her and Izuku, some with gaping mouths, others with looks of disdain or hatred. Not loving All Might in regular society was an aberration. Not worshiping All Might the world's greatest hero at UA, the school of heroes and All Mights Alma Mater, was a mortal sin.

Izuku glanced around, swallowing. He could feel even All Mights eyes on him. He cleared his throat, forcing himself not to stutter. "Everyone has their own dreams, Mei. I guess ours and All Might's don't line up anymore."

All Might blinked, and Izuku realized that he recognized him. That shocked him. Didn't All Might not even care about a weird quirkless nobody like him?

"Um, yes, well, I hope I can change your minds, as you get to know me as a teacher," All Might said, a grin appearing back on his face. "In fact, I hope to get to know everyone here at UA very well! I've acquired a great deal of experience and knowledge during my time as a Pro Hero, and I am here to pass it onto the next generation, in hopes that one of you will rise to be the next Symbol of Peace!"

That brought a lot of cheers and celebration from the other students, but Izuku found himself glaring at All Might again, muttering under his breath. "You just watch me, All Might. I will be the next Symbol of Peace. I'll be the World's Greatest Hero, and a better one that you ever were! I'll smile at everyone, and tell them that they too can be a hero, quirk or no!"

Someone pushed Izuku from behind, and he turned to see one of the other support students glaring at him. He was shocked, how could that student have heard him over the cheers? But then he remembered, when they had introduced themselves they'd said their quirk greatly improved their hearing

"Shut up, you quirkless loser. All Might is the greatest! You and goggles better watch yourselves! Freaks like you are- ACK!"

Mr. Maijaima grabbed the other student with one hand and lifted him up, his eyes filled with fury. "Hatsume and Midoriya might be odd, but that doesn't excuse rudeness. I especially won't tolerate any maltreatment of anyone in my class, disabilities or no. Understand?"

"But they were-"

"I don't care what they were doing. I'm talking to you. If I deal with them, I'll do it later. But the bullying stops, and it stops now. Need I repeat myself?"

"No, sir."

Power Loader unceremoniously dumped the other student onto the ground. "Good. Now listen."

There were more introductions after that. Izuku tried to pay attention, but his gaze kept wandering back to All Might. To his surprise, a few times, he found All Might looking back at him. He dropped his gaze then, feeling about an inch high. How could he really hate All Might? What had he said to Mei that made her think that? But then he thought of all the times he must have disparagged All Might, saying he crushed dreams, or that Iron Man or Batman were better heroes. Mei, for all her lack of social awareness, must have picked up on it. She'd never expressed personal dislike of All Might before, but then, Mei didn't really seem to care all that much about heroes in general. Maybe Izuku's attitude had rubbed off on her? He hoped he hadn't sabotaged her own chances at not being a social pariah in high school.

Guiltily, Izuku glanced over at Mei, but she was happily humming to herself, oblivious to the disdain that others were already showing of her. But she was like that. Izuku forced himself to straighten up. He would be more like Mei, and he would believe in her, just as she believed in him. To hell with All Might, and his classmates.

After the assembly they all headed back to class. Mr. Maijima glanced at Izuku and Mei, his expression grim, but he didn't say anything. As they walked through, All Might suddenly appeared around a corner in front of them.

"Power Loader! Might I borrow young Midoriya and his friend? I need to talk to them for a moment."

Mr. Maijima hesitated, then beckoned All Might closer. He whispered something into the ear of the #1 hero, that caused his trademark grin to momentarily falter.

"Oh! I see. Yes, well, I know about- Yes. Well, I'd still like to speak to them. But first, may I say something in front of your class?"

"Go right ahead. But remember, call me Maijima here, while we're teaching."

"Right, yes, of course Maijima."

All Might walked right up to Izuku, towering over him, and making Izuku swallow. He took a protective step infront of Mei, putting a hand out to shield her. He didn't know what he could do against All Might, but he would try. "Listen, what Mei said wasn't her fault. I...I may have said some things in front of her, and she trusts me. Please, excuse her rudeness. Any blame should fall on me." Izuku bowed, gritting his teeth. "Don't expel her. Being in the UA support course is her dream!"

"You misunderstand me, young Midoriya."

Izuku looked up to see that All Might was now bowing to him. "I should be the one appologizing to you."

That got a gasp from Izuku and his classmates. Mei, on the other hand, just nodded. "Yeah, what you said to Izuku was super mean. He's going to be a great hero, just watch!"

All Might stood up again, smiling at Mei. "It's good to see you care so much for your friend, Hatsume, isn't it? Well, I have to say, in front of your entire class, I am sorry for how you felt about what I said to you, Midoriya. Please understand: I didn't do it to hurt you, or deny your dream. I just wanted to save you from hardship and danger. It looks like you found a way forward, regardless."

All Might put a hand on Izuku's shoulder, startling him. The big man smiled. "You might not ever be able to be a pro hero, but that doesn't matter. You'll be a hero in your own way, as being here proves. Nothing seems to stop you."

"You've grown since I last saw you, Izuku Midoriya. I look forward to watching your career. I am certain that one day, you will be known as a hero who saves others. Everyone has a place in society, and by doing their best, they make the world a better place. It doesn't matter what that place is, but I think yours will be a very special one. The Support Course is valuable, just as important as the Hero Course. I hope you understand that, and that I never met to belittle you or your dreams, young man. Once again, I apologize."

"I...thank you, All Might," Izuku said. "But...but I still think I can be a hero." He glanced at Mei, who was frowning at All Might still, pressing up against Izuku's arm as if he was holding her back from attacking the man. "I'm here because I hope to prove that I can be a part of the Hero Course. Quirk or no quirk. I...I think I do still want to be a hero, like you, one who smiles and saves the day. I do accept your apology. What you said hurt, but...but maybe I needed to hear something like that. Otherwise, I never would have met Mei, or been as determined as I am to find my own way to be a hero. I'll be the world's first Quirkless hero. Just wait and see."

"I will," All Might said gently. He knelt down, so that his eyes were level with Izuku. "I can't give you a quirk, young man. But if there is anything else you need, let me know. I should be encouraging people like you. Perhaps...well, one day, maybe we can talk more. For now, I have to go. But I will be keeping track of your progress. Be a hero, Izuku Midoriya. Prove me, and everyone else who doubted you, wrong."

With that, All Might suddenly stood and laughed. "Haha! Well, even for a teacher, work is never done! And now I have to go! I'll be seeing the rest of you later! Farewell!"

With a gust of wind, All Might ran off, disappearing in the corridors of UA.

Mr. Maijima watched him go, then turned back to look at Izuku, rubbing his chin. "Well, that was...unusual. You've met All Might before?"

"He...he saved me from a villain, once," Izuku explained. "I...I told him I was q-quirkless. I asked...well, I asked if he thought I could be a hero, even with no quirk. He said no. At the time...for a long time, I thought it was because he was cruel. But now...maybe I was wrong. Maybe he is a good hero."

Mr. Maijima nodded. "I think he wanted to protect you, Izuku. A realistic assessment of your abilities is important. Right. Let's get back to class."

When they returned and everyone sat down, Mr. Maijima slammed the door hard, causing everyone to jump. He stalked to the front of the room and stood in front of Izuku and Mei, glaring at the class. "You two, get up."

Cringing, Izuku stood alongside Mei, who seemed irritated more than anything else. He expected to get chewed out for his and Mei's behavior, but instead Mr. Maijima put his hands on Izuku and Mei's shoulders. "Alright. The lot of you owe both Midoriya and Hatsume an apology. So stand up, right now, and give them one. And you better mean it, dammit!"

The other students slowly got to their feet, looking confused. Mr. Maijima strode forward, glaring at his students, leaving Izuku feeling utterly bewildered.

"I heard what you've all been saying. They're weird. Izuku is quirkless. Mei's autistic. They don't belong. Well, anyone who thinks they can get away with that, anyone who thinks that they're actually worthless just because they don't adhere to some imaginary standard you made up in your head, there's the door. Don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out."

"Sir?" one of the other students asked, confused.

"They're both better than all of you, in case you didn't realize it," Mr. Maijima said, pointing to Mei and Izuku. To Izuku's embarrassment, Mei nodded, as if such a statement were entirely natural.

"Did you see that device they were working on earlier? They made that out of scraps and salvage and a few things they bought at basic electronics stores with their own money. They built an incredible piece of machinery, on their own, with no training, while the lot of you were still tinkering with legos and thinking you were special because you won your Junior High Science fairs."

Izuku looked down, feeling deeply embarrassed. "We just… we just worked hard. We don't think we're better than anyone," Izuku said.

Mei opened her mouth, but Izuku's hand darted out, and he grabbed Mei's hand, squeezing hard. She let out a yelp, but then glanced at Izuku. He couldn't see it, but he was pretty sure she rolled her eyes at him. She harrumphed, and Izuku let go.

"Yes, we're not better than you," Mei stated. Though Izuku heard her whisper, "Much."

"I appreciate the modesty, but everyone here needs to get a realistic view of their own abilities. Yes, Izuku is quirkless. He's also better at electrical engineering than some professionals from what I've seen. Yes, Mei is autistic and rude. But she'll be the best damned inventor I've ever seen, and I'm including myself and other pros in that assessment. She's still a rookie, but she's got more natural talent in her left pinkie than some of you do in your whole bodies. So, you'll treat her and Midoriya with respect. Sometimes, you'll need to come to them for advice. They're both good natured enough that they'll probably help even if you're little jerks to them, but I won't tolerate it. You understand? Now apologize!"

The class did so, some reluctantly, others with sincerity.

"We accept your apology," Izuku said. He put his hand on Mei's back, and she bowed along with him, muttering her own acceptance. "And we are very sorry we embarrassed the class at the assembly. We will strive to do better!"

"Apology accepted," Mr. Maijima said. "Now, have a seat. We're going over your class schedules, and in a few minutes the teacher for your next class will arrive, which is English."

Mei let out a loud moan of despair. "Not English!"

"You'd better do well in it, because I'm giving Mr. Yamada your point card. All the teachers are aware of it Mei, so just remember they all can control your access to the workshop."

"Yeah, yeah," Mei grumbled. She looked at Izuku and smiled at him. "At least now I have a study partner who can help me!"

That made Izuku feel good, and he was happy enough to be attending an English class taught by none other than Present Mike anyway. And besides, he was at UA now. Time for Mei and Izuku prove that Mei really was amazing, and that he too could be a hero.

_Authors Note:_

_Ineffectual adults always irritate me in stories now that I am one. Especially when they let bullying or other heinous acts basically go unchallenged. I know as a teacher you can't stop everything, but when it's blatant you put your foot down so hard they can't squirm. _

_On another note, thanks for all your kind reviews! They really do mean a lot to me, and motivate me more than you know. Writing the relationship between Izuku and Mei, and especially writing Mei to be just the right level of weird has been something I've struggled with and I'm glad so many of you have been enjoying it. _


	7. The Capstone

_7\. The Capstone_

_What is it we value? Innovation. Originality. Novelty. But most importantly...timeliness. I fear you may be too late, my confused, unfortunate, friend. _

_-Hoid, The Way of Kings_

"Midoriya, Hatsume, stay after class," Mr. Maijima ordered. It was the end of the first day at UA, and Izuku felt exhausted. They'd gone through all their classes and learned what the expectations for the year was, as well as tinkered in the workshop for a bit, though not as long as Mei wanted.

"Can we stay after class and work on our babies?" Mei asked excitedly.

"Just have a seat," Mr. Maijima ordered. Izuku sat down and waited while everyone else filtered out of the room, while Mei practically vibrated in her chair, gazing longingly towards the workshop door at the side of the class.

Once the last of their classmates had left, Mr. Maijima sighed and shook his head. "Well, I can already tell you're both going to be a handful."

"Sorry, sir," Izuku said, looking down.

Mei just shrugged, apparently unconcerned.

"I came down hard on your classmates for mocking you. I'm not going to tolerate that sort of behavior in my classroom, not even a little. But, I also have higher expectations, for both of you."

Izuku looked up, and Mei frowned, settling down in her seat. "What do you mean? Are our babies not good enough for you?"

"No, far from it. Hell, your work is so good I'm probably going to have to make myself go harder on you. Half of me wants to just turn the two of you loose and see what you come up with."

Mei stood, a wide grin splitting her face. "You can count on us sir! We'll build something incredible! If you have any requests, just let us know and we'll make a super cute baby just for you!"

"Sit down, Hatsume. No, I'm not worried about your abilities in the workshop. No, what I'm worried about are your, shall we say, social skills."

Mei let out a loud groan. "I thought those wouldn't matter at UA!"

"Hatsume, social skills are going to be more important than you can imagine. They're going to be what get you contracts with pro heroes. They're what help your classmates trust you enough to help you on projects. And, they're what keeps your teacher from pulling his hair out and denying you access to the Development Studio."

That immediately got both Mei and Izuku's attention. Mr. Maijima sighed and walked around to sit on his desk. "Look, I get it. As I've said, I've dealt with a lot of odd ducks before. You're not the first kid from Mr. Onizuku's class, or from another program like that I've had to deal with. And, well, Izuku, you're not the first quirkless kid I've had in the program either. But you two have got to try a little harder to integrate into the class. You're already on the back foot since you got in through recommendations and they had to take the test. Plus, you are better than them. Some of them are going to resent that."

"But, I mean, w-w-well,we're all in the s-same program," Izuku stuttered. "We're not-"

"You are," Mr. Maijima stated quietly. "It's ok. People aren't created equal. Accepting that is the first step to finding your place in the world."

"Yes, we are very sorry and will do better," Mei agreed. "Now can we go build something?"

Sighing, Mr. Maijima shook his head. "I should really say no, what with the idiot stunt you two pulled at the commencement ceremony."

Mei's look of hurt disbelief almost made Izuku giggle, as he'd never seen her look so utterly crestfallen before.

"...But I'm going to let it slide, just this once. Now come show me how you two rigged that suit of yours."

Mei leapt up and ran into the workshop, where the Power Suit had been set on a large work table. She immediately started explaining how all the hydraulics and motorized assists worked, rattling off the sources of the metal and how she'd machined or jury rigged different parts to fit within the frame.

M. Maijima asked a few adroit questions, pointing out things he had noticed when he'd inspected the work or offering a few suggestions to how Mei could have set up the system better.

"Well yeah, but we didn't HAVE those," Mei informed Mr. Maijima in a huff after the second time he made a suggestion for a material improvement.

"They're over there," Mr. Maijima said, pointing to a stack of supplies on a shelf. "You can machine them to your specs on that one."

With an eager grin, Mei ran over to do just that, leaving Izuku with Mr. Maijima.

"Now, show me how you were setting up these electrical systems," Mr. Maijima told Izuku.

"Um, well, honestly, I used a few old textbooks I found at the library and some videos online that I found," Izuku admitted. "I just had to balance the power loads with a few series of relays here, and for others I had to boost the power outputs with a backup power supply that I spliced together."

Izuku showed some of his work, feeling nervous. A lot of it he thought was clumsy and makeshift. He'd had to do dozens of adjustments to every piece to get them to work properly. "-and I had some problems with dirty power supplies, but the work around I used was to build my own capacitor series and some surge protectors like it shows here."

"How'd you get the parts?" Mr. Majima asked curiously.

"Um, mostly from scavenging from old equipment at my school. They were upgrading some stuff, and um, well, I just sort of...took it from the dumpsters," Izuku admitted.

"You took a bunch of decades old equipment? How did you ever get it working?"

"Well, a lot of it was bad, so I had to test individual circuits to make sure their connections were good and replace a lot of burned out wiring with extras I took. It...it took a really long time, I'm not very good at it."

"Midoriya, what you rigged here bears almost zero resemblence to the original. You had to hand wire each connection didn't you?"

"Um, yeah, some of the wire I had to braid together so that it could carry the voltage properly because I didn't have the right kind. I-i-it kinda failed a lot until I managed to get it right."

"Incredible," Mr. Maijima muttered, shaking his head. "Come here."

Walking over to a shelf, Mr. Majima took out coils of copper wire, then pointed to a machine. "That machine will braid your wire for you. Just figure out what you need, and it will take care of the rest. I also have raw copper you can spin into fine wire or use to braid heavier cable if you need something custom that you can't make out of standard parts. These are capacitors; we have basically whatever you need. As for power supplies, we've got access to the latest tech. Some of it you have to be really careful with; they can explode if you're not careful."

"I'm always careful, sir," Izuku promised. "Um, sometimes I have to remind Mei to take it slow though. She always just sort of guesses at her power needs. She's usually right, but, um, sometimes…"

"Sometimes there's an earth shattering kaboom because she forgot something?" Mr. Maijima guessed. When Izuku nodded reluctantly, his teacher sighed. "Yeah, it figures. She seems like a leap first look later kind of gal. Well, she's got you to keep an eye on her, anyway. I'll give you two another hour to mess around. I've got a staff meeting to go to, but when I get back I have to lock up when I go home for the day."

Left on their own, Izuku and Mei fell into a familiar routine, drafting plans and examining their prior work.

"We're going to start over from scratch!" Mei declared, quicking sketching out her plans for the Mark VI on paper. "This power suit will have better everything! Izuku, what about power sources? How much juice am I working with?"

"Well, I am still figuring it all out, but I think these would work best for the main power supply. That should just about quadruple the available power for the primary systems."

"Excellent, excellent! What about those modular systems?"

"Well, their systems will have to integrate into the primary control, but I think most of their power demands should come from built in sources. I think we're best off using battery power for that. It will sort of limit how many activations each can have, but-"

"A sacrifice we can make! Now, I think we're going to be able to add extra shock absorbers here, and here. You did punch that robot, but it sort of screwed up the arm's actuators. We need to account for that."

"Hmm, ok, what if we try-"

After an hour, Mr. Maijima returned, finding Izuku and Mei in the process of fabricating a basic skeleton for the power suit.

"Well I hate to interrupt, but it's time to call it quits. Head home you two, school starts early in the morning."

"But we haven't even begun!" Mei protested.

"It's OK, I'll take home some of these circuits to build and you can take some materials home to machine in your shop. We can finish the skeleton later and mount them," Izuku suggested.

"Well, normally I don't allow students to just take home workshop materials for home use," Mr. Maijima said. He raised his hands before Mei could protest vocally. "But, I'll make an exception. Honestly, I really want to see what the two of you can do with professional grade stuff. Get going, you're probably hungry."

"Nah, Izuku always brings food to make me eat," Mei said, pointing to a couple of empty instant ramen bowls.

"Just make sure you actually sleep tonight, OK Mei?" Izuku prompted. "We'll work better if you actually get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," Mei agreed, grabbing some supplies and stuffing them in her backpack.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Maijima. Thanks!" Izuku called. He walked with Mei to the train station, bidding her farewell and urging her to remember to get enough sleep. Then it was back home for him.

His mother was of course overflowing with questions, which Izuku absently tried to answer as he worked on wiring a circuit board. The new Power Suit would have much more advanced electronics, and he had opened a few tutorials on his phone to look up just what to do. Building circuits tended to make sense to Izuku, as if you planned things out carefully and then were methodical in your implementation and testing they worked well, and he'd learned a lot in the last year.

His room was now a mini workshop itself, with soldering guns, a shelf with carefully stored racks of wire, blank circuit boards, and half cannibalized computers and machinery he'd brought back to work on in his own time. The All Might memorabilia was gone, sold to pay for Izuku's new passion. A part of him was now slightly regretful about that. Perhaps All Might wasn't as terrible a hero as Izuku had thought.

"I'm just, so, so proud of you, Izuku," Inko said, giving her son a hug. "Don't stay up to late, OK?"

"Yeah, OK," Izuku agreed. He took a picture of the board he'd built and sent it to Mei, adding a few descriptors of what he expected the specs to be. She replied with a picture of what she'd made, giving a brief description of what it was for.

Izuku frowned, trying to turn it so he could really see. He sighed and gave up, turning off his laptop and soldering iron and climbing into bed. He'd deal with it in the morning.

During the first few weeks at school, Izuku and Mei settled into a routine. They worked on their classwork alone, worked together in the lab alone, and generally were not spoken to or interacted with by any save their teachers unless it was unavoidable. While their classmates were not openly hostile or rude, they were reluctant to socialize with the duo. While this somewhat weighed on Izuku's mind, it didn't seem to bother Mei in the slightest.

"Mei, do you ever wish you had other friends? I mean, besides me," Izuku asked her as they worked together on an in class assignment in Modern Literature class.

Mei didn't look up from where she was copying from their copy of _Two Heroes _by Kohei Nagasaki. "Why? I have our babies too."

"Well, I mean, maybe if I wasn't around, people would talk to you more. Since, you know…" Izuku trailed off as Mr. Ishiyama, also known as Cementoss, walked by.

"People would rather talk to you than me," Mei stated simply, ignoring the teachers presence. "They think I'm weird."

"Perhaps you should focus more on the themes in the chapter," Mr. Ishiyama rumbled. Izuku still found it exciting to be taught by pro-heroes, especially a mutant type like Mr. Ishiyama, aka Cementoss, who looked like a living slab of concrete.

"Obviously the doctor betrays everyone because he wants his research back," Mei declared. "I'd feel the same way if someone stole my babies!"

"Focus on the themes in this chapter, Hatsume, not what happens later" Cementoss chided, then walked away.

"No, I mean, because I'm...quirkless," Izuku whispered.

Mei looked up at him, frowning. "Yeah, but you have better social skills. Look, do you think the doctor betrays them because he wants his babies back or not?"

"That's not really the theme in this chapter. This one's more about how he's willing to betray his ideals to protect his friend," Izuku said.

"Ok." Mei happily erased what she'd written on the worksheet, scribing what Izuku had said nearly verbatim. She was more than willing to defer to Izuku in the "boring stuff" as she put it, but was equally happy to help him in math and science.

Izuku was just filling out his own worksheet when alarms suddenly started to blare.

"Attention! Attention! Lockdown! An incident has happened on campus! Lockdown! All students, remain in place! Teachers, report to the front of the school immediately!" a voice blared over the loudspeakers.

Cementoss dropped the book he'd been carrying around and raced for the door. "Stay here! Do not move!" he ordered.

The other students gasped, looking scared and frightened, but Mei just kept working, ignoring the sudden interruption.

"It's OK!" Izuku said loudly, standing up and looking around. "I'm sure we're safe! Otherwise, Mr. Ishiyama wouldn't have left us. We should just get started on the homework."

"Don't tell us what to do," Kata Sumuri, the snailed headed boy who had been elected class rep snapped at Izuku.

"But, Kata, what should we do?" someone else asked.

Kata frowned, his eyes swiveling in their long stalks. "Um, well, I guess we should just do the homework."

Izuku flushed and sat back down, but the room had calmed down and everyone had gone back to work. He and Mei finished quickly enough, then at Izuku's prodding got out their English homework to work on.

"If we finish it now we can spend more time in the workshop later," he argued.

Mei reluctantly agreed, though getting her to do her English homework was even harder than getting her to remember to eat dinner.

After an hour, however, the principal's voice came over the PA system. "Students, you are dismissed. The school day is over early. Please carefully and calmly exit the building, and head straight home. Do not linger on campus.

"What?" Mei half shrieked, looking up. "But our babies!"

"I think something bad happened," Izuku said. "Come on. We'll go over to my place today. We can work on finishing those circuits for the jet pack."

"Did you solve the power supply issues?" Mei asked, now eagerly scooping up her books. "I've got the propulsion system ready, but you know it's going to be an energy hog."

"I'm going to build an override that sends all power to the pack while it's active. It'll make most of the suit's systems freeze up temporarily, but it's the only way to draw enough power," Izuku explained.

On the way out, Izuku noticed a large number of police and other emergency vehicles. To his shock, he saw Bakugo sitting by an ambulance, apparently arguing with the paramedics. However, he had several bandages on his body, and was clearly battered.

"Kacchan!" Izuku called, hurrying over without thinking. "What happened to you?"

Bakugo glared up at Izuku. "What do you want, extras? My gear is fine. Go away."

"But you're hurt!" Izuku protested. "What happened?"

"Sir, I need you to move along, this is a medical emergency," one of the EMTs warned.

"But this is my friend, Kacchan! It looks like he was hurt badly, what happened?" Izuku demanded.

"Go away, I don't need your sympathy, or your help!" Bakugo snapped.

"Wow, you have terrible social skills," Mei commented from behind Izuku.

"What was that, you damned extra!" Bakugo snapped, standing up, his eyes filled with rage.

"Woah! What's going on here? I knew you had an explosive personality, Bakugo, but this is too much!"

The new voice drew Bakugo's ire as he growled in anger, fingers twitching. The owner was a tall young man with blond hair in a costume with 1,000,000 printed on it. Izuku vaguely recognized him as an upperclassman, though he didn't know his name.

"Piss off! We would have been just fine without you, pantless!" Bakugo snapped.

"Ouch! Guess I earned that one!" the older boy chuckled. He turned to Izuku and Mei, smiling. "Names Mirio Togata, but you can call me Lemillion! Don't worry about your friend here, he's going to be just fine! All Might and the other teachers got there just in time! None of your classmates were hurt too badly."

"I could have handled them!" Bakugo raged. "If you and the other's hadn't gotten in my way-"

"Sir, please, calm down. You two, leave. You're upsetting my patient," the EMT ordered.

"O-o-ok," Izuku said, backing away. "I'm glad you're safe, Kacchan!"

Izuku's only answer was a very rude gesture. They walked away, Togata following after them.

"What happened?" Izuku asked as they walked away.

"Oh, just a little villain trouble at the USJ today!" Togata laughed.

"They went to Universal Studios Japan?" Izuku asked, surprised. That seemed odd for the hero course.

"Ha ha, that would have been fun!" Togata laughed. "No no, the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! It's here on campus, it's a training facility for the Hero Course. You two are in the Support Course, right? You probably haven't been there."

"Oh, no," Izuku said, feeling a little dejected. He wished he could have been with Kacchan, training to be a hero. But then he glanced at Mei. Did he really? He sort of liked having a real friend in class, and he was learning useful skills.

"Well some villains broke in, nothing to worry about!" Togata declared brightly. "Just head home, take the rest of the day off! Do something fun!"

"We can't, they won't let us in to see our babies on campus," Mei sulked.

That caused the older student to do a double take. "What?! You have children here? But you're so young! But fear not, I can rescue your children, miss, and-"

"She um, she means our inventions," Izuku quickly interjected. "We're not-we didn't, um, it's not like that. We're lab partners in the Support Course, and, well, Mei calls what we make our babies."

"They're super cute! Say, could you let us in so we could see them? I'll show you the power armor! Maybe I could make you some support gear that would keep your pants on!" Mei offered.

"Ha! I might have to take you up on that! I was in such a hurry when All Might called me, I just ran over without putting on my costume first! Guess I'll have to remember that for next time," Togata said with a chuckle.

"Why would All Might call a student if there was a villain attack?" Izuku asked in confusion.

"Oh, what's that?" Togata said, putting a hand to his ear. "Goodness, I have to go! Goodbye, remember, go straight home!" with that, Togata crackled with sudden energy, and with a cry of "POWER!" ran off at such a blistering speed he caused a small gale.

"Wait, our babies!" Mei called, but it was too late. She sighed. "Come on, Izuku, let's head to your place. At least we can work on those circuits."

"Yeah, right," Izuku agreed. But he looked back to where Togata had disappeared. What was going on?

That afternoon, Izuku ended up not getting much done on the circuits.

"Oh thank God Izuku! When I heard there was an attack on your school, I got so worried! Thank goodness you're not in the Hero Course, some of those kids were seriously injured!" Inko cried as soon as they arrived at the Midoriya residence.

"Mom, I called and texted you right away, you know I was fine!" Izuku said as his mother buried him in a hug.

"They didn't let us work on our babies at all though," Mei muttered.

"Mei! Did you call your parents?" Inko demanded. "They're probably worried sick."

"Izuku reminded me," Mei said, trying to sidle past Inko. "We did our homework already, we're just going to work on those circuits."

"Wait, is there anything on the news, mom?" Izuku asked.

"Oh yes, it's all they're talking about! Come, look!" Inko hurried inside and turned on the television, where the news anchors were talking over footage of the UA campus.

"-reports indicate that a group of over 50 criminals calling themselves 'The League of Villains' attacked the UA campus. Thankfully, All Might was on hand to defeat this heinous attack."

The footage suddenly cut to All Might, waving at reporters and smiling. To Izuku's surprise, at his side stood not Principal Nezu or one of the other pro heroes who taught at the school, but rather Mirio Togata, dressed in a school uniform.

"An upperclassman, Mirio Togata, was also involved, along with the students of Class 1A. Witnesses claim that he arrived shortly after All Might, and assisted the Symbol of Peace in holding off the villains until the UA faculty could arrive."

"Him again," Izuku muttered. "What does it mean? Why would a student be helping defeat villains? Shouldn't it have been up to the teachers or other pros? I wonder what his Quirk is?"

"Probably losing his pants," Mei stated matter of factly. "That blond jerk said that he lost his."

Inko gasped and turned to Izuku. "Bakugo was there? Did he do anything to you?"

"He showed that he doesn't have any social skills," Mei said with a shrug. "I don't think he likes us. Which is weird because he said we were extra. Like, extra awesome?"

"Like extras in a movie," Izuku said absently, still wondering what Togata had to do with the incident. "He called me that before."

"I don't think we should make any support gear for him," Mei said. "He was mean to you."

Izuku glanced at Mei, somewhat surprised. "I thought you didn't care if people were mean to you."

"Yes. But he was mean to you. I didn't like that," Mei explained.

Izuku grunted. "It bothers me how rude Kacchan was to you, Mei. He doesn't even realize how talented you are."

"You two should both stay away from him," Inko lectured. "He's trouble."

Just then, the phone rang. Inko had apparently texted Mei's parents she'd arrived, and they too were concerned. Despite her protests, Hari arrived not long after to take Mei home.

"Don't worry, we'll get started all the earlier tomorrow!" Izuku promised, waving as they got into the car.

"Those villains better not have touched our babies. I'll kill them if they hurt any of them!" Mei swore.

Izuku smiled and waved again, then went back inside. He tried to work on the circuits, but his mind was elsewhere. He gave up, instead getting in another workout with his weight set.

"I should have been there," Izuku muttered to himself. "It should have been me fighting those villains with Kacchan."

But, to do that he would need better gear. Izuku resolved to find out everything he could about this League of Villains, and their quirks. It would be good practice to start coming up with countermeasures for them.

_Authors Note: _

_A big thanks to kylekatarn77 for beta reading this chapter. _


	8. Awakenings

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_8\. Awakenings_

_Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe._

_-Abraham Lincoln_

"I suppose all of you know this already, but the sports festival is in two weeks. You have 10 days to finish your equipment, and then submit it for final approval if you want to use it during the events," Mr. Majima announced the next day at the start of class.

"We're still having that? Sumuri demanded. "What about the League of Villains?"

Mr. Maijima shrugged. "All Might and the rest of us teachers took care of them. A few got away, but most of them are locked up. We need to show the world UA won't be intimidated by a bunch of thugs."

"What about Mirio Togata?" Izuku asked, raising his hand. "How did he help at the USJ?"

"He's All Might's teaching assistant," Mr. Maijima said with a shrug. "And he's quite a talented student. His help was most welcome. He saved quite a few of the students in Class 1A while All Might fought the villains before the rest of us got there."

"What's his quirk?" Izuku asked eagerly, reaching for his notebook. If Togeta was that strong, he couldn't wait to write down a few notes. He already had some ideas on how to stop the League of Villains if they came back, though the warp quirk that one of them had would be hard to counter until he knew more about it.

Mei nodded. "Yeah, he asked us to make some pants he wouldn't lose. I told him I could make him a wonderful baby!"

"Of course you did," Mr. Maijima muttered, then cleared his throat. "Well, that's probably his phasing. He's getting better, and I made him a costume that wouldn't just fall off when he loses focus, but he forgot it. Maybe you can whip him up a pair of underwear or something for casual use, as a thank you."

That got snickers from the other students, though Mei just nodded happily. Mr. Maijima frowned and glared around the room. "I'm serious. You're going to have to get used to the idea of making those sorts of things. Some heroes do need specialized clothing for their costumes. You may very well find yourself making special underwear for heroes more often than you think, and it can be the difference between life and death for someone. Anyway, go work on your projects for the rest of homeroom. Remember, 10 days to submit your list of gear and for me to inspect it for the Sports Festival."

Izuku and Mei headed over to their own work station, with Mei talking animatedly. "This is our chance, Izuku! Time for our babies to shine! We just have to show the world how amazing they are! I'm certain you can do it! You've gotten super good with the Power Suit, and with several of the modules! You're certain to catch the eye of all the support companies, and maybe even the pro heroes!"

"Yeah, I heard that if you do well enough at the sports festival, they let you transfer in to the Hero Course if you want," Izuku said, rubbing his chin.

"Well you can do that! Our babies are the cutest, most wonderful things ever!" Mei burbled.

Nodding Izuku glanced around at the various items they'd completed. There was the Power Suit of course, and the grappling hook, jet pack, and hover boots. But he needed something else…

"I think we need something to counter everyone's quirks," Izuku muttered to himself. "I know what Kacchan's quirk is, but I don't know about the other students. How do I find out what they are? Maybe I could spy on them at lunch. No, that wouldn't work, they're not using their quirks then. Kacchan probably wouldn't tell me, and spying on them during class would be hard, so how do I-"

"Hey, Mr. Maijima, if we want to work on some gear for other students, can we?" Mei asked.

Mr. Maijima nodded, coming over to their table. "Sure, who do you have in mind?"

"Well, we already have so many wonderful babies!" Mei declared. "Could we just get a list of the students in the Hero Courses and their quirks? Maybe in general studies too, especially if they want to be in the Hero Course! We could really give them a leg up!"

"Sure. I'll grab a list for you in a minute," Mr. Maijima said, and walked away. A few minutes later, he came back with a notebook. "I was going to ask the two of you to help me with the next round of costume modifications. Especially you, Izuku. There's one student with an electricity quirk who's having some serious drawbacks from over using his quirk. You're the electrical whiz, maybe take a look at it and see what you can do for him. Name's Denki Kaminari, he's in class 1A."

"Um, thanks!" Izuku said. He took the notebook and flipped it open, his eyes going wide. On it were listed the names of every Year 1 student, along with their Quirks. Even he was listed, though his quirk was just given as "NA."

"Well, does this help?" Mei demanded.

A slow grin spread over Izuku's face. "Yes, yes it does. We're going to be just like Batman, Mei. We'll look at all the Quirks, and create babies to defeat everyone! Starting with Kacchan!"

For Kacchan, Mei came up with a simple but effective solution almost immediately. "Well, if his quirk is sweat, shouldn't we just spray him with antiperspirant? He kinda stunk when we saw him. Mr. Onizuku was always telling me I should put some on but I never remembered."

Izuku blushed at that particular revelation. Mei's grasp of personal hygiene was questionable at best, and Izuku did have to remind her to wash herself after a long day in the workshop. Personally though, he sort of liked how she smelled, but he would never have been so crass as to say so.

"That's a great idea? But what about a delivery system?"

That got Mei's eyes to sparkle. "Missiles."

Unfortunately, as it turned out, creating the missiles ended up eating up most of the ten days they had. They had to come up with a launcher, machine the missiles, get the right propellent mix, and put out a few fires from their mistakes that had Mr. Maijima threatening to ban them from the workshop for life. However, Izuku and Mei were able to engineer a missile that could easily launch from the Power Suit, but could also be fitted out with a number of payloads, one of which was an antiperspirant bomb.

"Maybe we can add in a few other payloads? Like some sort of antacid foam for this girl, Mina Ashido?" Izuku suggested.

Along with building the gear, Izuku spent long hours testing it and honing his combat skills. He'd spent some time since the semester started practicing with the Power Suit, especially after his rather pathetic attempts to take out the robot when Mr. Maijima had tested them at the recommendation exam. Now, however, Izuku trained in earnest.

Mei convinced Mr. Maijima to allow them to set up a course for Izuku to train on, though their teachers flatly refused to allow them to destroy any of the robots. Despite that, Izuku practiced his skill with the grappling hook, using it to expertly swing himself around the large city-like training area. He could combine it with the hover boots and jet pack Mei had created to fly for short periods, ascending to heights of up to 30 meters. He also discovered the grapple could be used as a tether or line to wrap around enemies, though he couldn't use it on just anyone as the metal cable would crush a normal human or cut them in half when tension was put on it.

He also trained hard with the missiles, learning how to use the laser target finder he designed to improve their accuracy. He also practiced dumbfiring his shots so that he could quickly get off a barrage without first painting the target, and got fairly accurate at that as well. He also practiced some basic martial arts katas in the suit, though for those he soon found that if he tried to get too complicated, he just fell over or over-extended. Some basic punches and kicks were going to have to be enough, especially as Izuku could easily break through concrete.

"We're going to have to put limiters on the suit," he told Mei. "If I hit someone full out, I'll really hurt them."

"That won't be too hard, we can put an override in in-case you go up against someone like Kirishima or Tetsutetsu from the hero course," Mei said, tapping their notepad. "They've got quirks that make them super tough, and unless our baby is going all out, they won't even feel your punches, but for regular people we can reduce the power output so you don't kill them. How could everyone know how amazing our babies were if they were dead?"

"Um, yeah," Izuku agreed, though he was honestly just worried about hurting someone. He did practice picking up delicate objects with the power suit, starting with watermelons. The first few times Izuku accidentally cracked the melon, sending sprays of juice and pulp over the suit, and causing Mei to berate him for getting their baby dirty. After a few times though, Izuku got to where he could hold the melons tightly without breaking them, and moved on to ever more delicate objects. He finally managed to carefully pick up an egg, though he still cracked the shell most of the time.

After their two weeks of nearly sleepless nights, Izuku and Mei finally decided they had done enough. They'd only managed to make anti-quirk gear for a few combatants, but they were also the most dangerous. At the last minute, they slapped together some heat shielding to use against Todoroki in 1A, who had the powerful fire and ice quirks, and quickly added some vents that could be used to melt the exterior of the Power Suit if it became iced over.

"This is quite a lot of gear," Mr. Maijima commented, looking over the plans and the sample missile that he'd received. He looked up at Izuku and Mei, a crooked smile tugging at his lips. "Way more than most first year classes I teach submit, combined."

"Well, aren't they all super cute? It would be a shame to leave out any of our babies!" Mei declared.

"At the very least, these are all extremely well made. The electrical system on this missile is a marvel. How'd you make this, Midoriya?"

"Well, actually, I sort of ripped up a few laser range finders. Mei helped me reprogram them so that they would then home in on the laser beam. You have to keep the beam on target, or the missile flies off course, but you can also just dumb fire them. I had to rewire them a bit to get them to fit, but it works!"

"I know it does, I tested them. It's incredible! Make sure you find a way to show these off. I know some pros that would be interested in buying these. Hell, I might way a few myself, especially since you can easily swap out the payloads with this system that you designed, Hatusme. Excellent work! These are all approved! Including the Power Suit MK VII."

"You won't regret it sir!" Mei promised. "We'll get even more funding so that Izuku and I can make babies together forever!"

"I expect to get pictures from the hospital after the delivery," Mr. Maijima deadpanned. When Izuku went white, he laughed uproariously. "Go on, get out of here! Go celebrate your success! I think you'll put in a good showing at the Sports Festival! Maybe someone in my class can actually place in the finals for once. Damn you Vlad and your stupid bets…"

"This is going to be amazing!" Mei cheered as they left. "Everyone can finally see just how cute our babies are! Aren't you excited Izuku?"

"Hmm? Yeah," Izuku agreed absently. He tapped the notebook of quirks he was carrying. "I think we can handle most of the people we face with our load out. But there's one student I'm actually really worried about, and he's not even in the Hero course."

"What? Who? Who's going to hurt our babies?!" Mei demanded, grabbing the notebook and pulling it down so she could see.

"Him, Hitoshi Shinso," Izuku commented. "He's got a quirk that lets him mind control anyone who answers a question of his."

"Well, that's easy. Just don't talk to him," Mei said with a shrug. "I'm still more worried about Shoto Todoroki. Having two quirks is just cheating! I know we put on that heat shielding, but we don't have numbers on how hot his fire can get so I don't know if it will work!"

"Yeah, he's the son of Endeavor, the number 2 hero. Beating him would be tough, but there are a lot of tough opponents. I think we'll find a way though."

"Yep, you'll show everyone you deserve to be a hero!" Mei cheered. Suddenly, she stopped, looking worried.

Izuku halted and turned. "What is it? Is there something we forgot, Mei?"

"Well, it's just...Izuku, maybe...maybe you shouldn't win," Mei said softly. She was wringing her hands, and for once she looked deeply distressed instead of her usual chipper self. "If you do then you wouldn't get to be with me anymore."

At those words, something strange surged within Izuku. He felt a longing and tugging within him, but at the same time he swelled with pride, as if All Might himself had appeared to crown Izuku as the next Number 1 Hero. He also felt a sudden rush of savage lust as blood surged within him, causing sudden and embarrassing changes. Still, the sensation lingered, and Izuku wasn't sure what it was, so unlike anything else he had felt in his life before, so invigorating, and so demanding.

He awkwardly crossed his legs, trying to hide his condition. But the reason behind the emotion was obvious: Mei hadn't said he couldn't win, couldn't prove he was stronger than even the most powerful members of the UA Hero Course. No, she had said maybe he shouldn't win. As if Izuku's victory was a foregone conclusion to her. "Um, why, Mei? I thought you wanted to show off our babies? You're sure to get picked up by a support company, and I might get noticed by some pro heroes who would take me as an intern!"

"That's just it," Mei said quietly, oddly not meeting Izuku's eyes. "What if they take you away and I can't see you anymore? I don't think I'd like that."

Forcing himself forward and trying not to show the state of his pants, Izuku hurried forward, putting his arms around Mei and trying not to bump into her below the waist. "Hey, it's OK! You believe I can win, right Mei?"

She nodded, a tear suddenly rolling down her cheek. Izuku felt a sense of panic. He'd never seen Mei cry. Not when she'd burned herself with a welding torch, not when she'd been shocked by high voltage, not when she'd smashed her fingers in a malfunctioning hydraulic joint.

"Mei?" All thoughts of preserving his dignity were gone. Izuku wrapped her in a hug. "Are you OK? I'm here for you. Just tell me what's wrong!"

Slowly, Mei rested her hands on Izuku's back, then suddenly squeezed him so tightly the breath was driven out of his body. Thanks to long hours of hard work, Mei had surprising muscle strength, and Izuku hadn't been ready for this. Her fingers dug painfully into his back, but Izuku ignored that.

"Would you leave me if you won?" Mei whispered. Izuku could feel a growing wetness on his chest, and realized Mei was silently weeping. "I've never had a friend before. I don't want them to take you away if you win, Izuku."

That same feeling surged in Izuku again, and for a moment he couldn't even speak, so powerful were the swirling emotions. Tears started falling from his own eyes, wetting the top of Mei's head. Neither of the two noticed the stares from their fellow classmates, as they were standing on a busy walkway near the entrance.

"I'll never leave you, Mei. If I enter the Hero Course, if I become the top Hero, I won't do it unless you're with me. And if I utterly fail, if no one loves our babies...well, I'll work with you at your parents shop for the rest of my life!"

Mei looked up, pushing aside her goggles to reveal puffy red eyes. "You mean it? You'll always be my friend?"

"Forever," Izuku agreed. "No matter what. Win or lose, they can't separate us, Mei."

"Ok." Mei suddenly let go of Izuku, rapidly turning and striding off. "Then we'll just have to win so we can make whatever kinds of babies we want!"

"Freaks," someone muttered as they brushed by Izuku, but he didn't care. He strode after Mei, confident in what the future might hold. After all, Mei believed in him. Did anything else really matter?

_Authors Note:_

_A big thanks to my beta kylekatarn77, who wrangled many egregious homonyms and other grammatical atrocities, as well as providing feedback on the story content. _


	9. Made Equal

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_9\. Made Equal_

_God made man. Sam Colt made them equal._

_-American Proverb_

"We can do this, I know we can, we're ready, we're prepared, we've researched every possible opponent, we can do this, we're ready," Izuku muttered to himself as they walked through the tunnel out into the main stadium groups for the Sports Festival.

"Plus, our babies are super cute!" Mei crowed from her perch atop the two and a half meter tall Power Suit. It was now painted in garish pink and green digital camo pattern, which Mei said represented both of their hair colors. While part of Izuku was a bit embarrassed to be in such an ostentatious color scheme, another part was proud of their hard work, and wanted to stand out. "You're gonna win, Izuku!"

The suit itself was bulky and bulbous, weighing in at just over 500 kilos. The main compartment was large enough to hold Izuku's chest and torso, but his arms and legs stuck out into the limbs of the powersuit to aid in making the movement feel more natural, though they only extended about halfway down the limbs. Izuku's head stuck up out of the suit, though it was encased in a metal helmet shaped a bit like a full face mask model for a motorcycle with an opaque visor. He could take it on and off, though he much preferred to leave it on as no one could see his face then.

The arms themselves were also rather bulbous, holding modules for the various systems that they had created. The hands were to scale with the rest of the suit, which was one reason it had taken Izuku so long to get used to using them properly. They were coated in a special rubberized substance that made gripping things easier, with haptic feedback connected to the gauntlets Izuku wore. His legs were somewhat stubby for the size of the suit, though they were still half a meter longer than Izuku's own. The feet were broad and had treads like a large boot to aid in grip along the edges, with the centers holding air jets that allowed Izuku to jump farther and in combination with the jet pack, fly for a short time.

Really, the Power Suit reminded Izuku a great deal of some of the mecha he'd seen at Coruscant Comics, though it wasn't exactly like any of them, and was a great deal smaller than the larger models. Still, he had to be carefully going through the tunnel into the stadium, the top of it only centimeters above his head.

Izuku nodded, keeping his strides even and measured. Mei's presence somehow calmed his nerves, and he forced himself to keep looking forward as they made their way out of the tunnel.

"Support classes F, G, and H!" Present Mic's voice called from the loud speakers.

Izuku tried to smile and look around to wave, but felt too nervous to do so. Mei was now standing up on top of the power suit, waving both arms to the crowd. "Yes, it's us, with our super cute babies! Show off your babies, everyone, the crowd is watching! This is our chance to get funding!"

Mei's frantic energy brought a real smile to Izuku's lips, and he used one arm to steady Mei, while waving with the other.

"They're looking at us, Izuku! They're all watching our baby! Oooh, you really have to win! It will prove just how wonderful our babies are!" Mei shouted.

At last, after some frantic motions from Mr. Maijima, Mei hopped down as all the first year students assembled before the stage.

"And now, to give the student pledge, the First Year rep, Katsuki Bakugo!" Present Mic announced.

With a start, Izuku looked around wildly, spotting Bakugo walking up to the stage, a determined look on his face.

"What, Bakugo?" another student from the hero course with long earlobes that ended in electrical jacks asked. "Why'd they pick him? He's such an asshole."

"I guess he did score first in the entrance exams," another Hero Course student with spiky red hair commented. "Even if he is a jerk sometimes."

"Only for the Hero Course," someone from general studies grumbled.

But Izuku knew the truth: In the end, it was the Hero Course that really mattered in the eyes of the crowd. They were the students who always won the sports festival. Izuku had checked: Never in the history of UA had any student in any year who wasn't in the Hero Course taken first place. There had been students from other courses who made it to the final round, but the final round was always a battle, and the Hero Course not only typically had the students with the strongest Quirks, but also the ones given the most training to use them.

"This year, we'll win," Izuku swore to Mei. She grinned at him and nodded.

"I just wanna say," Bakugo drawled from atop the stage. "I'm gonna win."

Plenty of people booed Bakugo, but Izuku stared determinedly at Bakugo. He knew the truth. Bakugo wasn't boasting. He was making a promise: If you wanted to win this year, Bakugo was the one to beat. And Izuku absolutely believed it.

"See you in the finals, Kacchan," Izuku whispered.

"Why would you say something like that? You're making everyone in Class 1A look bad!" a tall boy with glasses shouted, waving frantically at Bakugou.

For his part, Bakugo shrugged and glanced behind him. "Not my fault you're all just extras in my show."

The boos and heckling continued, several students making threats to Bakugo, but the spiky haired youth just walked off the stage, shouldering his way back to his spot, apparently not bothered by the critics.

"Do you think his social skills are worse than mine?" Mei mused. "At least people just think I'm weird. I don't think anyone hates me. Hey, Sumuri, do you hate me?"

Kata shifted one eye stalk to look at Mei and shrugged. "No. But I might hate that punk who just shot his mouth off. Thinks he's better than us."

"His social skills definitely aren't," Mei laughed.

"Shh, they're announcing the first task," Izuku whispered.

This was a tricky part. He and Mei could plan for the Quirks of their peers, but they couldn't know what the challenges for the first two tasks would be. Upon seeing the trial though, Izuku let out a sigh of relief. An obstacle course. That, they could handle. The Power Suit could run at over 40 kph, and while Izuku knew that Tenya Iida from 1A could go faster than that with his engine quirk, Izuku should still be able to easily outpace most of the field.

"Ready, Mei?" Izuku asked.

"Yep!" she eagerly climbed onto his back, strapping herself in and holding on to the hand and foot holds they'd mounted onto the fame. "Let's show everyone what our baby can do!"

"On your marks! Get set, go!"

Izuku took off, throwing himself into a full sprint, using the long strides of the Power Suit to rapidly outpace nearly everyone. Most of the other students rapidly gave way for the large metal suit, which made Izuku stand just over 2 meters tall. He'd just about made it out of the tunnel again when suddenly a coat of frost rimmed his suit, sticking him to the ground. Todoroki's quirk, Izuku knew. Bakugo laughed and launched himself forward with explosions, dodging the frost, but everyone else was caught in it.

"Engaging heat shield!" Izuku shouted, and immediately the lower portion of the Power Suit heated up. Mei was wearing insulated gloves and boots for just such a purpose, and laughed in delight as they broke free and raced forward.

Ahead of him, Izuku spotted both Todoroki and Bakugo using their respective Quirks to move faster than most could while running. Well, not faster than the Power Suit.

"Hang on, here we go!" Izuku warned, and threw himself into another sprint, racing as quickly as he could along the track. He'd nearly caught up to both Bakugo and Todoroki when suddenly several enormous robots reared up, blocking their way forward.

"Oh man, those are huge!" Mei said excitedly. "Use the HE missiles!"

"Not yet," Izuku cautioned. "We don't know what's ahead."

As it turned out, they didn't need them, as Todoroki's ice covered the robots, freezing them in place, and allowing the other boy to easily bypass them.

"Izuku, those are unstable! Don't let them crush our babies!" Mei warned.

Swerving to avoid the giant robots, Izuku ran straight into a group of smaller robots, some of which he recognized from the entrance interview. Others were shaped like a sort of scorpion with laser tipped tails, and still more were larger models with missile launchers on their backs. For a brief moment, Izuku thought he would panic and run. Sure, he'd faced a single robot before, but that had been easy. Now there were half a dozen, all coming straight at him.

"Use number 54!" Mei suddenly urged, rapping her hand on Izuku's shoulder plates. "Let's show what we can do!"

Her words brought sudden clarity, and Izuku's mind snapped into focus, forming a plan. "Right!" Izuku raised his left arm, activating the module installed in it. A large laser cutter popped out, pointing at the robots. Izuku ran forward, charging up the laster. "Firing!"

A narrow red beam shot out, burning into the nearest robot, one with the missile launchers. Its armor started to melt immediately, though Izuku struggled to keep the beam on target. Still, he managed to melt a sizable chunk out in just a second, causing the robot to blare in alarm. Deactivating the laser, Izuku leaped onto the robot, punching it where the laser had weakened the armor. The frame of the robot shattered under the force of the blow, but Izuku followed through too hard, losing his footing and stumbling to his knees as his fist became stuck in the robot's guts.

"Watch out!" Mei cried. "Don't let them hurt our babies!"

With a heave Izuku freed himself, spinning to face more robots as they charged him. He raised the laser and fired it at a charging wheeled robot with one arm, then activated the grappling hook module embedded in his right. He used it to spear another missile bot through its eyes, causing it to crash into the ground, deactivated. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to hold the laser steady on the scorpion bot. Thankfully in the wild wiggling of the laser it had passed over the scorpion bot's eyes, melting it and causing the robot to start to run wildly in circles, crashing into a wheeled bot and wrecking them both.

The last robot was another wheeled one, and Izuku ran forward as he retracted the grapple. He punched with his right to deflect the shield arms, then followed up by launching the grapple into the robots torso. It speared straight through the enemy's chassis, destroying the robot.

Gasping for breath, Izuku wrenched the grapple free again, then took off once more after Todoroki and Bakugo.

"How are you doing back there?" he asked Mei.

"Don't worry about me! How're our babies holding up?" Mei demanded.

Checking his screen, Izuku frowned. "Looks like we have a bit of damage. The laser is down to 20% power, I fired it for a full 4 seconds. The arms and legs have some dents and the right arm has minor servo damage, down to 92% functionality."

"Well within tolerances! Keep going!" Mei cheered. "We're still ahead of nearly everyone."

Izuku resisted the urge to look back, instead racing forward down the track after the leaders, who were spending as much time firing off attacks at each other as they were on moving forward.

After another half kilometer, they came to a wide chasm, crossed by narrow lines.

"They call this an obstacle?" Mei laughed. "Engage the jet pack and hover boots!"

"Right!" Izuku leapt into the air, then activated the hover boots and jet pack together. They both provided enough lift to send the Power Suit 10 feet into the air in a controlled ascent. Izuku was able to land atop one of the pillars, where he had to pause for a few seconds while the system charged again.

"We need to figure out a way to have more continuous flight," Izuku muttered, watching as Bakogu used his explosions to recklessly leap from pillar to pillar, and Todoroki simply made ice paths he could skate across over the chasms.

"Use the grappling hook to give us more forward momentum!" Mei ordered.

"Of course!" Izuku quickly pointed the grappling hook at the ledge on the distant canyon side, then carefully aimed it at what looked like a weak point in the rock. The hook easily speared into the wall, and Izuku jumped as it began to rapidly reel him in. He swung on the line, which jerked his arm hard. Thankfully, the built in shock absorbers did their job, handling the sudden stresses. He swung down out over the canyon floor, and when he began to swing back up on the other side, activated the jet pack and boots once more to launch himself up and over the edge. He hit the ground hard, the sprang forward, still chasing after the leaders.

"Come on, come on, we can do this!" Mei urged. "They're catching up behind us!"

"Not for long!" Izuku promised, running as hard as he could. Suddenly, he saw Bakugo and Todoroki slow down dramatically, carefully picking their way forward.

"Minefield!" Mei shouted in warning. "Izuku, careful, don't hurt our babies!"

Izuku shook his head. "We can't stop now! We're nearly to the leaders!"

"Well if you step on those mines they'll explode and damage the suit!" Mei warned.

"We'll just have to explode them before we get there, then! Missiles, activate!"

The twin pods of missiles mounted in Izuku's torso sprang open, and he slowed slightly to point his torso upward. He also trained the laser across the field, painting the targets for each missile. "Load HE rounds!"

"I love it when you talk explosions like this!" Mei giggled. "Come on babies, make mommy and daddy proud!"

"Missiles… launch!"

Ten missiles shot out of the power suit, rising up into the sky in a wide arch. Todoroki and Bakugo looked up suddenly, then back in shock at Izuku who continued to race forward. Todaroki raised a barricade of ice around himself, while Bakugo suddenly leapt up and recklessly launched himself forward with explosions again. He was too late though: the missiles impacted the minefield in a series of blistering fireballs, which then grew into a massive ball of destruction. Bakugo was flung back behind Izuku, who put his hands before himself and threw himself into the shockwave. He and Mei grunted at the impact, but the suit weathered the blast, and Mei stayed strapped in.

"YES! OUR BABIES ARE THE CUTEST!" Mei hooted as Izuku ran through the former mine field. Todaroki was shaking himself off, his ice having protected him, but Bakugo lay on the ground, groaning slightly from the massive concussion from the blast. Izuku didn't have time to think of that, sprinting forward and into the lead.

"There, ahead of us, there's the stadium!" Mei cheered. "Go, Izuku, go! There's no one even close to us!"

They sprinted into the tunnel and out the other side to where the crowd awaited them.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Present Mic's voice boomed from the loudspeakers. "Two students from the support course finish first! Izuku Midoriya and Mei Hatsume from Class 1H are the clear winners of the obstacle course! The former leaders, Bakugo and Todoroki, have just now picked themselves up and are in hot pursuit, but there's now half a dozen others competing with them for third place! This is incredible folks! We've never seen such a finish from students in the support course!"

"We did it we did it we did it!" Mei laughed, unstrapping herself and jumping on top of the Power Suit to hug it tightly.

Izuku felt the same giddy sense of triumph, grabbing Mei and lifting her high above his head. "We did it, Mei! We won the first round!"

"That's right everyone!" Mei shouted, standing atop Izuku's hands. "I'm Mei Hatsume, and this is Izuku Midoriya! We made all the super cute babies you saw in action today!"

"She means our inventions!" Izuku laughed. "That's what we call our inventions!"

"Just make sure you keep your eyes on us! I'm going to be the world's greatest inventor, and Izuku is going to use our babies to become the next Number 1 Hero!"

"Bold words from our first place finishers!" Present Mic said, laughing. "But what else could you expect after such a showing! And here comes the rest of the field! Tenya Iida takes third place, followed by Shoto Todaroki and Katsuki Bakugou!'

"DEKU YOU DAMN EXTRA!" Bakugo roared, blasting into the stadium on the heels of his classmates. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

"Who's Deku?" Mei asked, frowning as Bakugo stood in front of them, panting in rage.

Slowly, Izuku lowered Mei to his side, then stuck out his hand. "It was a good race, Kacchan. I borrowed that last move from you: Using an explosion to clear my way."

"Yeah? Well screw you, nerd! Do you think you're better than me?" Bakugou demanded. "You don't even have a quirk!"

"Well, he doesn't need one to be better than you," Mei laughed. "At least he has social skills!"

"And up yours, you pink haired bitch! If you two get in my way again, I'll bury you, you understand!"

"Bakugo! Calm down." The tall boy with glasses from before, Tenya Iida the third place finisher, ordered, interposing himself. It was probably what saved Bakugo from a broken jaw, and Izuku from disqualification. "They won, fairly and squarely."

"Piss off. You're not in charge of me," Bakugo snarled, then stalked away.

Iida frowned after Bakugo, but then turned and bowed to Izuku and Mei. "Please, excuse my classmate's rudeness. I assure you that not all of us in the Hero Course are like that."

Quickly, Izuku removed his helmet, trying to smile at the polite overture. "I-i-it's nothing, I, um, know Kacchan well, from when we were kids. We went to the same schools," Izuku explained, trying to keep himself calm. How dare Bakugo talk about Mei that way!

Mei shrugged. "I met him a while ago. He has even worse social skills than me!"

"I...see," Iida said, standing and looking at Mei oddly. He shook himself, then smiled and extended his hand. "Well, best of luck to both of you in the coming rounds. I'm certain you'll both do the Support Courses proud."

Izuku carefully took Iida's hand in the power suits, and gently pumped it once. "And to you, Iida. With your engine quirk, you're sure to be a strong competitor."

Iida smiled and nodded his thanks. "I aim to make the Iida family proud. My older brother is sure to be watching."

Izuku and Mei took the next few minutes to hurriedly restock their supplies from the pack Mei was carrying, reloading the missiles and doing some minor repairs to the grappling launcher, as well as swapping out the power supply for the laser.

"The next competition is a cavalry battle!" Ms. Midnight announced from the stage. "You must form teams of up to four, consisting of a single rider and at least one mount!"

"I'll be happy to ride you, Izuku!" Mei said, slapping him on the back. Izuku winced, not from the force of the blow, but for the unwitting implications Mei had made.

"Heh heh, nice one, bud. Good to see at least some of us are getting some tail!" a small disgusting gnome of a boy with odd purple hair commented to Izuku.

He flushed and looked away, focusing on what Ms. Midnight was saying.

"Teams will be given headbands with their total points, earned from the obstacle course. Normally, we'd have first place worth 10,000,000 points, with second place worth a respectable 205."

"Ten million?!" Izuku gasped, going slightly pale.

"But this year, we had some collaborators! Well, we're going to keep the spirit of this alive, so, Izuku Midoriya and Mei Hatsume, you each have a 5,000,000 point bounty on your heads!"

Izuku's eyes went wide, and he took half a step back. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him, the eyes of all the students in the Hero Course who were now determined to beat him into the dust and steal his points. How could he face all of that? Hurriedly, he stuck his helmet back on, not wanting to reveal his embarrassment.

"Ha ha! That's because Izuku and I are clearly going to win! He's going to be the world's Number 1 Hero using our wonderful babies, and I'm going to make them for him!" Mei proclaimed, throwing back her head and laughing to the sky.

"She means, um, she means the-" Izuku stammered, but Ms. Midnight interrupted.

"What's this?! A heated romance on the battlefield! Please, keep your clothes on for this competition! We'll save the spicy details for later! Perhaps these young Heroes will be in need of my expert tutelage!"

Izuku felt as though he were going to melt into a puddle and and die of embarrassment, at least until Mei put her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Izuku, let's get you suited up so I can ride you to victory!"

Despite his feelings of utter shame, Izuku managed to smile. "Yeah. Um, let's win this."

_Authors Note: _

_Some of you might think that Mei knows exactly what she's doing with the innuendo. I assure you, Mei does know exactly what she's doing, but what she's doing is making incredible babies with Izuku. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, not even in public where everyone can watch. Also, she hates English, and thinks that innuendo is dumb because it has a latin root. Why can't English make sense!?_


	10. Odd Man In

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_10\. Odd Man In_

_The main way to keep from losing is to win._

_-Yogi Berra_

"Hey. Nice to see some students outside of the hero course here. You two must be pretty strong."

Izuku looked up from working on the Power Suit to see a boy with tall, fluffy blue hair and dark circles under his eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, only to have Mei put a hand over his mouth.

"Izuku! Don't you remember who that is?" she demanded.

Izuku hesitated for a moment, then his eyes went wide. He nodded quickly, and Mei removed her hand.

"We don't have anything to say to anyone that could mind control us," Mei said, turning her back to continue her work. "We've got more important things to do, right Izuku?"

"R-r-right," Izuku muttered, turning back to work on the suit, but his eyes nervously slid to the boy, whom he now recognized as Hitoshi Shinso. His quirk allowed him to mind control anyone who answered a question of his, and Izuku had nearly fallen into his trap.

"Relax. I'm not here to steal your headbands before we even start," Shinso said, giving Izuku a wan smile. "So, you know about my quirk? Wonder how that happened. Anyway, that's not important, or why I'm here. I want to team up."

"What?" Izuku turned around, shocked. "Why would you want to team up with us?"

"Izuku!" Mei snapped, smacking him upside the back of his head. "You're going to end up mind controlled!"

"Only if I wanted to. Which I don't," Shinso said casually. "No, I'm here to offer a team up, because you two are the only other students not from the Hero Course to make it to the semi-finals. And, well, I respect that." Shinso looked down at his hands, which he tightened into fists. "They wouldn't let me in, no matter how strong my Quirk is, because it doesn't fit their definition of a hero. You two don't fit the bill either. So, they're keeping you out as well. Let's work together to change that. At least for now. All bets are off in the finals."

Izuku looked to Mei, who was frowning at Shinso. "How do we know you won't just betray us and take our headband?" he asked.

Shinso shrugged. "You can choose not to trust me. If you do that, I'll just find someone else. But I think the two of you could really use my help. Sure, you're strong and fast, and that suit you've built is downright amazing. But do you honestly think just the two of you can go up against the entire Hero Course and win? You need allies."

"Ha! Izuku and I have gotten this far with just the two of us and our babies! We don't need anyone else!" Mei bragged.

"Wait, Mei," Izuku said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He studied Shinso. "Your quirk is strong, perhaps one of the most powerful ones here. And you're right. We are up against the entire Hero Course. I'm willing to partner up for this round, to prove that anyone can become a Hero. So what do you say, Mei?"

"Hmm. Well, if you think it's a good idea," Mei said with a shrug. "Just make sure he treats our babies right!"

Shinso chuckled and nodded. "Oh, I'll be sure to do that. Now, I think I'd be the best rider. Agreed?"

"Yes. I'm the horse, obviously," Izuku said, patting the Power Suit. "You and Mei can ride on top. Mei, watch our backs and look for openings. Shinso, how many people can you control with your quirk at a time?"

"It depends, but no more than four or five. So you can forget us just brainwashing the whole field," Shinso answered.

"No, but maybe getting one team to back off or hand over their head band at one time would be helpful," Izuku said. "I'll leave that part up to you. I think our best bet though is to try to stay away from other teams for as long as we can. We've already got a huge lead in points. How many do you have, Shinso?"

"Personally, 80, but those won't really matter compared to what you have."

"Agreed. So for now, we play defense," Izuku said, slapping his fist into his palm. "Let's get loaded up and ready, it starts in just a few minutes."

Soon, Izuku was back in the Power Suit, warming up the systems and waiting for the signal. Shinso and Mei were strapped in up top, with Shinso wearing the 10,000,000 and 80 point headband. Once more, Izuku felt the eyes of everyone on him, ready to take him down. He could see Bakugo glaring at him with a manic grin, riding atop Mina Ashido, Fumikage Tokoyami, and Eijiro Kirishima.

"Bakugo's team is going to be heard to beat," Izuku muttered. "Bakugo is pure offense, but he's got a nearly unbeatable defense too, between Ashido's acid, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, and Kirishima's hardening."

"We'd best stay away from them," Shinso agreed. "He seems to have a chip on his shoulder regarding you. He's got the sort of arrogance and flashy quirk I can't stand."

"He also has no social skills!" Mei chimmined in.

Izuku could almost hear Shinso rolling his eyes, but there was no time to think. "Begin!" Ms. Midnight shouted, and Izuku leapt into the air, igniting his jet pack and hoverboots to leap across the field, away from the other teams that had immediately made straight for him.

"Who's coming after us besides Bakugo?" Isuku asked as he looked for a good landing spot.

"Actually, Bakugo seems to be targeting Monoma from 1B. He's getting really angry, Monoma stole his headband in the rush to get to you. Monoma seems to be showboating, and apparently Bakugo can't stand another diva," Shinso relayed.

"He doesn't like it when someone else tries to surpass him," Izuku agreed. "Jetpack needs to recharge! Landing!"

Izuku landed, but no sooner did he touch the ground than a wall of thorny vines rose up around him. "Shiozaki!" Her quirk made her hair into living plants, which she could control.

"Don't run away, face us head on, like men!" Tetsutesu of Class 1B roared as his team barreled towards Izuku, his metallic skin gleaming in the sunlight.

"I'm not a man, dummy!" Mei called back. "And don't you dare hurt my babies!"

"Laser cutter!" Izuku cried, activating the tool to quickly scythe away the clinging vines. He tried to jump away, but the ground beneath him turned to slurry, causing his legs to sink down as he became stuck in a mire. "Crap, that's Honeuki's softening!"

"Hey, Tetsutetsu, are you harder than Kirishima?" Shinso called.

"Of course I am, you idiot!" Tetsutetsu laughed. "Metal is harder than-"

Shinso showed his teeth. He had him. "Maybe you should go after Bakugo's team. A head on fight like that would prove you're far more manly."

Tetsutetsu's face suddenly went slack, and he turned away from Isuku, pointing towards Bakugo

"What? Tetsutetsu, we were going to get the 10,000,000 point headband!" Awase, one of his riders, protested.

Tetsutestu shook his head, and pointed again.

The distraction lasted just long enough for Izuku to pull himself out of the mud, but he had to immediately dodge out of the way as a sheet of ice tried to envelop him.

"Nothing personal, Midoriya, but we'll be taking that headband," Iida called as he led team Todoroki towards them. They also had Yaoyorozu on their team, who had made roller skates for herself and Uraraka while they supported Todoroki.

"They can fly too with Uraraka's anti-gravity on their team," Izuku muttered, activating his heat shield and dashing through the ice, breaking through it and running away as fast as he could.

"Look out!" Mei called, just in time for Shinso to dodge the long tongue of the frog like Asui. She was hiding behind the tentacled arms of Shoji, along with the purple haired Mineta.

"Don't let those sticky balls touch you!" Mei warned Izuku as a few popped out from within his hiding place.

"On it! Jetpack re-charged! Engaging!" Izuku once more took to the air, but as he had predicted, this time team Todoroki followed, with Uraraka using her Zero Gravity to provide lift while Iida used his engines to give them a boost. Quickly, Izuku used his grappling hook to latch on to the far side of the arena, disengaging the jetpack and yanking himself out of the way. He slammed into the wall, gritting his teeth at the impact.

"You two OK?" Izuku asked as he pulled out the grapple and reloaded it, running along the base of the arena wall.

"Fine, worry about yourself. We've got team Hagakure and team Kendo after us!" Shinso told Izuku.

"That headband is ours, Midoriya!" Hagakure cried, the only visible part of her head band as she was carried into battle by Kamanari, Oijiro, and Sato.

"Doesn't it feel weird, carrying a naked girl into battle?" Shinso called to the three boys carrying Hagakure.

"What? No, I mean yes, I mean, she asked us to!" Sato stammered.

Kamanari laughed. "It feels great! Mineta is going to be so jealous!"

"It's not really like that…" Oijiro sighed.

"Don't be a perv!" Hagakure lectured, her headband shaking wildly with her head.

"Well, don't you think Kendo and her team would be an easier target? Why don't you go after them?" Shinso called.

Immediately, Team Hagakure stopped chasing after Izuku, moving towards team Kendo who had been trying to cut him off. Kendo soon had to fend off Hagakure's clumsy attempts to snatch her headband, and Izuku saw from the corner of his eye she actually managed to take Hagaurke's with her Big Hand quirk, then her team spirited away, Hagakure's team clumsily going after them.

"Good work, Shinso! Your Quirk is amazing!" Izuku panted. Despite the cooling unit and his training, he was starting to tire after 10 minutes of constant exertion to keep away from the other teams.

"I was born with it. It's more impressive what you two have accomplished. Don't worry, Midoriya. We'll both prove that we're worthy of being heroes," Shinso said.

"Everyone has their eyes on us and our babies, Izuku!" Mei cheered. "I can see all the support companies taking note! Make sure you use the laser a few more times, and find a way to use some missiles! They'll love those! Our babies are the best!"

Izuku winced slightly "She means the-"

"Forget it! Here comes Todoroki again!" Shinso warned

Izuku barely managed to dodge out of the way of a wall of ice, only to have to raise his left arm to hold off Dark Shadow, Tokoyomi's quirk.

"Rawwwr! That headband is ours!" the black bird crowed.

"Not today!" Mei cried. She threw a canister into the air from her backpack, then put a hand over Shinso's eyes.

Izuku's faceplate automatically darkened as the flare went off, filling the stadium with sudden brilliance.

"Noooo!" Dark Shadow moaned, shrinking back to hide under Tokoyami.

"Ha! Weak to light, just like I hypothesized!" Mei laughed, then let out a woop as Izuku had to jump high into the air with the hoverboots to avoid more of Todoroki's ice.

"Must be nice to have so many flashy quirks!" Shinso called to the other team. "How does it make you feel to pick on a team that barely has a quirk among them?"

Todoroki stayed silent, but Uraraka replied, "We're not trying to bully you! It's just part of the game! Sorry!"

Suddenly, Todoroki's team floated off the ground, spinning out of control as Todoroki fired off another blast of ice at the exact wrong moment. Uraraka suddenly vomited, and they fell back to the ground.

"Damn, she broke my control when she did that," Shinso muttered.

"It's alright, we got away!" Izuku called back. He fired his grappling hook at the center stage, realing himself in and leaping up. He was forced to leave behind the hook though, as the ground started to soften and vines sprung out of the ground.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, YOU COWARDLY FREAKS?!" Tetsutetsu demanded as his team ran forward. "WE LOST OUR HEADBAND TO BAKUGO AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"COME BACK HERE YOU B CLASS EXTRAS!" Bakugo screamed, still in hot pursuit of Momona. "I'M GOING TO STOMP YOU ALL INTO THE GROUND!"

"Relax, maybe you should help Bakugo out," Shinso answered.

"Why would we do that?!" Tetsutetsu demanded.

"You repent of your sins!" Shiozaki added, and her team vocally agreed.

Immediately, they veered off, vines sprouting up around Momona's team.

"What?! Shiozaki, why?" Momona wailed.

"SCREW YOU, THAT'S WHY! DON'T HELP ME, EXTRAS!" Bakugo ranted, seizing Momona's headband as his team wallowed in mud and vines.

Once more, Izuku made good his escape. Mei handed him another grappling hook, which he quickly loaded into the module. For a few minutes, they simply dodged and ran, the other teams either having decided he was too hard a nut to crack for the moment, or busily engaged in a melee.

All of class B had ganged up on Bakugo, save for Kendo's team, who was playing keep away with Mineta's group. They had somehow gotten Mineta's headband, probably by trapping them in Bondo's glue and turning Mineta's own strategy on its head. Still, with Bakugo fending off three teams he was far too busy to go after Izuku. The brash boy seemed to actually be enjoying himself, using his explosions to keep away any attackers, though few could get past the quirks of his horses.

"Here comes Todoroki's team again," Shinso warned. "They just don't give up."

This time, Iida was moving much faster than before, a determined expression on his face, blue flames leaving heat waves in the air behind him as Todoroki's ice coated Iida's legs. Izuku leapt into the air again, but an ice wall blocked his path.

"That trick won't work again!" Todoroki shouted.

"Shame, it did so well on you the first two times. How does it feel, not to live up to your father?" Shinso shouted back.

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. Uraraka opened her mouth, but Yoayarozu elbowed her teammate, and Uraraka's teeth clacked she clammed up so quickly.

"They have us figured out!" Izuku gasped, punching the ice to try to break through. He activated his heat shield, but he couldn't melt the ice fast enough. It crept up around him, threatening to encase the lower half of the power suit.

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY BABIES!" Mei screamed.

She threw out several canisters, causing Dark Shadow to squawk in panic. However, instead of a flashbang, a fountain of smoke erupted, rapidly obscuring their corner of the battlefield. Shinso, Mei, and team Todoroki began to cough, tears streaming down their faces. Mei had apparently gotten the smoke mix wrong, and it was somewhat noxious. Izuku, however, was fine, his mask sealing and going to internal air supply. He managed to finally get out of the ice, and switched to thermal vision.

"I'm going to stay in the smoke," he told Mei and Shinso. "Try to be quiet!"

"Ok," Shinso said, his voice muffled. "Mei had face masks. We'll pop off a few more."

"It's no good, my engines have seized up! And I can't find them in this smoke," Iida's voice gasped, his voice sounding strangled.

"Here, put on these gas masks," Yaoyorozu called.

Sweating, Izuku watched as team Todoroki refitted. The other teams were staying well away from the smoke, apparently thinking it was too risky to go where they couldn't see clearly. Mei had popped off a few more smoke bombs, and the air was now thick and black. Izuku moved as quietly as he could, though with the roar of the crowd and the sounds of Bakugo's explosions, it wasn't hard. He glanced at the timer he'd put on his HUD. Less than five minutes to go.

Still, Team Todoroki regrouped, Yaoyorozu making heat vision goggles for her own team.

"You're better off just waiting," Shinso called to them. "You're in fourth place. You'll still make it to the finals."

The other team didn't respond, but they could only stumble forward in the smoke. Iida had overloaded his engines, and was nearly crippled. It wasn't very satisfying, dodging through the smoke to run out the time, but it worked. At last, the horn sounded.

"And that's the end of the Cavalry Battle!" Present Mic announced. "What a display, folks! Team Shinso, against all odds, has held on to the 10,000,000 point headband! Team Bakugo is now in second place, having captured three teams headbands in addition to keeping their own! Team Kendo is in third place, with three headbands! And fourth but certainly not least, our former second place condenders, Team Todoroki, who also kept their own headbands for a satisfying finish! What a display!"

Izuku squared his shoulders and strode out of the smoke, trying to project an air of confidence he didn't really feel.

"That was a mistake," Mei groaned. "No one could see our babies through all that smoke!"

"It doesn't matter, we won," Shinso said. He unstrapped himself and hopped off, gazing up at Izuku with a determined expression. "From here on out, we're rivals again. I hope we don't face each other for the finals, since you know my quirk."

Izuku nodded, not daring to speak. He reached out, extending his hand to Shinso. The other boy took it and shook silently. WIth a final nod, he departed.

"He's weird," Mei commented. "I like him!"

"He's got the same dream I do," Izuku said. "In some ways, he's actually got it harder. Sure, I don't have a quirk, but that means I had to find a completely new way to become a hero. For Shinso, his quirk is weird, and makes him seem villainous. People won't trust him, and it's not flashy enough to get him fans. But it's very strong. He could save a lot of people, if only anyone would give him a chance."

"We'll just have to make him some super cute babies to help him out!" Mei vowed. "I can think of a dozen ways to improve his quirk! It doesn't work amplified, but I bet we could get him a voice modulator to disguise it so people wouldn't know it was him!"

"That is a good idea," Izuku agreed. "But we should focus on what comes next."

Grinning widely, Mei spun in a circle in excitement. "Yes! We'll be up on the stage, showing off our Super Cute babies!"

"Yeah, um, about that, do you want to wear the Power Suit?" Izuku asked, rubbing the back of his head and glancing up at their creation.

"Nah, I'll be fine! We've got other babies too! Besides, I'm not going to win. I'll just show off for the judges for a bit. It will be your job to prove to the world that I'm the world's greatest inventor, and you're the world's greatest hero, Izuku! So don't let me or our babies down!"

"Right! Don't worry Mei, this is our chance! The whole world is watching, and I can't let them down now!" Izuku agreed.

"Finalists! Please proceed to your preparation chambers. The first round pairings will be announced shortly!" Present Mic said. "And while we're waiting on that, it's time for a few games for the rest of our students!"

"Come on," Mei said, poking Izuku. "Let's get this baby back to the shop and do some minor repairs. Then it's on to the stage! I just know all the support companies will be watching us, and every pro hero in Japan!"

"Yeah. Let's not disappoint them!"

_Authors Note:_

_Yogi Berra didn't say the title quote. Unless he did, in which case, he actually said it. But if he did not say something like that, it sounds like something he would have said if we quoted him on it. _


	11. The Great Achilles

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_11\. The Great Achilles_

_Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another._

_-Homer, the Illiad_

Izuku glanced up at the TV screen by the vending machine. He'd left to get himself a milk and Mei some canned coffee. The pairings popped up, and Izuku was about to open his milk and take a drink. His first pairing was, fortunately, against Mina Ashido. She was one of the only participants he'd prepped against. But a look at Mei's pairing made Izuku drop his milk, spilling it across the floor. He dashed back to their prep room, his eyes wild with panic.

"Mei! You have to forfeit!" Izuku shouted, slamming open the door.

She looked up, frowning. "Where's my coffee?"

"Mei, you have to forfeit the first match! You're going up against Ka-against Bakugo!"

"Yeah. But where's my coffee?" Mei prompted.

Frantically, Izuku knelt down next to Mei where she was working on the Power Suit's legs. He put his hands on her shoulders, his arms trembling slightly. "Mei, Bakugo, he's really angry. He's going to hurt you if you fight him."

Mei laughed. "No he's not! We made those missiles special for him. I'll teach him a lesson, for all those times he made fun of you and our babies!"

"Mei, listen. Bakugo is strong. Really strong. We never got to test our missiles anti-perspirant spray! What if it doesn't even work? He'll hurt you really badly!"

Shrugging, Mei turned back to her work. "Well if it doesn't, I'll just forfeit. But I have to at least test it out, or what was the point?"

"Mei, please, I'm really worried about you," Izuku pleaded. "The plan was never for you to fight Bakugo! It was supposed to be me."

"Well don't worry, Izuku. If I beat him then I'll forfeit to you. I don't want to keep you from being a hero."

"That's not what this is about!" Izuku half shouted. "Bakugo is ruthless in competition. And he thinks we've slighted him. He's going to go all out against you."

"Izuku, do you not have any faith in me or our babies?" Mei demanded.

Izuku jerked back. "I-no, of course I do. Y-y-your really smart, and...and I know we've made good stuff, but-"

"Then don't worry about it. Now let's finish getting ready. I'll just use the handheld missile launcher I made for my match with Bakugou."

Reluctantly, Izuku helped Mei assemble their handheld launcher and load it with three antiperspirant missiles. Then they worked on the Power Suit in relative silence, aside from Mei complaining twice about the coffee until Izuku went and retrieved the fallen can from the hallway. Still, Izuku couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Eventually though, he had to force it out of his mind and load into the Power Suit as his match was up first.

"Go show them how wonderful our babies are!" Mei said, waving goodbye as Izuku walked out onto the arena floor.

"Um, yeah, same to you," he managed, waving half heartedly, then turning back to the stage.

"Our first two contestants: She's peppy, she's cute, and she's just a little bit fre-kah! Let's get a warm round of applause for Mina Ashido from Class 1A!"

The pink skinned girl glided up onto the stage on a wave of acid, then turned and waved to the crowd enthusiastically. Her quirk was strong, Izuku knew, producing acid that could seriously damage the Power Suit if he wasn't careful. He'd planned ahead though, and held two missiles in his hands loaded with the anti-acid foam. He planned to detonate them immediately, using the foam to shield himself, then detonating a series of missiles over the field to coat it in antacid foam to negate Ashido's quirk.

"And in the other corner, it's none other than the frontrunner, Izuku Midoriya! It may come as no surprise to you all that he comes from class 1H in the support course, but what's even more shocking is this: Izuku Midoriya is the first ever Quirkless student to make it to the final round!"

Izuku gritted his teeth at that announcement. What would people think of him? He forced himself to look straight ahead, and prayed that his trembling limbs wouldn't cause the Power Suit to lose it's balance. He clambered up onto the stage, assuming a fighting posture with his two arms raised.

"Wow, you're really quirkless?" Ashido asked. "That's super cool! You must be really smart! But don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

"Y-y-yeah, um, s-same to you. But really, it was Mei Hatsume who-"

"BEGIN!"

Without further warning, Ashido raced forward, spraying acid at Izuku. Out of reflex, Izuku dodged to the side, avoiding most of the attack, though some acid sprayed on his suit. Then he remembered the missiles in his hands, and tossed them up in the air, triggering their detonators.

"Waaah!" Ashido cried. She was only a few feet away from Izuku, and a good deal of foam washed over her. "What the heck?! Oh well, eat- huh?"

Ashido tried to spray acid, but the foam coating her absorbed most of it, leaving only a few flecks to spray through the air. Izuku rushed her, grabbing Ashido carefully in both hands.

"Sorry!" Izuku shouted. He spun around, hurling Ashido through the air. She wailed and flailed her arms, but Izuku stepped back, opening his missile bays.

Somehow, Ashido managed to land right on the line without going over it, pirouetting and stepping back into the ring. But Izuku fired off a single missile, which exploded between him and Ashido, spraying them both with a geyser of foam. When the smoke cleared, Ashido had been forced out of the ring, splayed on the ground and covered in foam.

"I'm so sorry!" Izuku gasped. He hurried forward, gently scraping the foam off of Ashido's face, causing her to cough and splutter. "I-I-I'm really sorry, Ashido. Um, are you OK?"

"I...I…" Ashido coughed. Then she suddenly sat up, startling Izuku. "I have never seen anything so amazing! Midoriya! How the heck did you make this stuff? I can't even use my quirk!"

"Um, well, you see, Hatsume and I, we sort of researched what your quirk was and, um, w-w-we made these missiles to um, cancel your acid."

Ashido blinked. "Seriously? You were that worried about me?"

"Well, um, your quirk is really strong, and well, we thought we should be prepared, since we figured you were sure to make it into the finals."

"That is like, the biggest compliment ever. If I hadn't just gotten my ass kicked so hard, I might actually think it was kind of sweet." Ashido winced, glancing down at herself. "As it is, um, good match. Congratulations. I so need a shower now."

Izuku helped Ashido up, then a medical team arrived to see to her. Izuku felt really bad about how one sided the match had been, but he looked up to see Mei running towards him.

"Izuku that was amazing!" she cheered, leaping up onto him. Izuku caught her in his arms, and Mei hugged him tightly. "You showed everyone how awesome our babies are! Ashido never had a prayer! The missiles, they worked wonderfully!"

Suddenly Mei climbed up on top of Izuku, taking out a loudspeaker from somewhere. "That's right everyone," Mei's voice boomed. "That amazing display was brought to you by us! Me, Mei Hatsume, the world's greatest inventor, and Izuku Midoriya, the world's next greatest hero! Support companies, take note! Wouldn't you love to fund us? Just imagine it, Izuku and I making babies together at your company forever!"

Silence. The roar of the crowd suddenly died as everyone stared at Mei in shock. "She means the inventions!" Izuku called frantically. "The inventions! She calls them-"

"Well, I guess love can bloom on the battlefield!" Ms. Midnight called. "Well, please clear the stage. You can go make babies in private in your waiting room."

"Thanks! We will!" Mei agreed, hopping down. "Come on Izuku, let's go make more babies!"

Izuku groaned to himself, but followed after Mei as the crowd started chattering. What sort of person did they think he was?

Still, Izuku didn't have time to watch the two other matches, instead focusing on repairing and refitting the Power Suit. Before he knew it, the loudspeaker came to life. "Mei Hatsume, Mei Hatsume, please report to the stadium floor for your match."

"Alrighty! Don't worry Izuku, I'll take care of Bakugou for you!" With that, Mei ran out, carrying her gear.

"Wait, Mei! Are you sure you don't want to take the Power Suit?" Izuku asked.

Mei shook her head. "I don't know how to pilot it very well, you've always done that. I might accidentally hurt our baby! You just take care of them and I'll handle Bakugo."

Despite himself, Izuku found himself leaving and hurrying to the student observation box.

"Hey! Midoriya! Over here!"

Izuku turned to see Ashido waving at him from a seat, dressed in a set of civilian clothes. He hurried over, blushing slightly. "Um, hi, Ashido. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, they hosed me off and I could make acid once that foam came off." Ashido explained. "All I had were a few scrapes and bruises. I'm surprised, you totally could have pounded me with that thing!"

"Yeah, well, I mean, I didn't want to hurt anybody," Izuku said nervously, gazing out onto the field.

"Oh yeah, this is Hatsume's match, yeah? She's your girlfriend right? I hope you two use protection, otherwise you could get into big trouble."

Izuku whirled, his face beat red, stumbling over himself to explain, but was interrupted by Present Mic.

"Stepping out onto the field, it's our second contestant from the Support Class! She loves her babies, and probably someone else, too! Give it up for Mei Hatsume!"

Mei walked out, grinning widely and toting the missile launcher, along with a bandoleer of smoke bombs and other explosives. For half a heartbeat, Izuku thought she had a chance.

"And from the Hero Course, the number one finisher in the entrance exams! He's hotheaded, and determined to win! Let's hear it, for Katsuki Bakugo!"

Bakugo mosied up to the stage, his hands in his pockets, a sour expression on his face. In that moment, Izuku's heart sank. Mei hadn't a prayer.

"You're going to pay for bad mouthing my babies and Izuku!" Mei snapped, readying her launcher.

Bakugo snorted. "Whatever. If I have to stomp the nerdette to get to the real fights, so be it."

"Ready?" Ms. Midnight asked. "Begin!"

Mei immediately fired her rocket launcher, but Bakogu was already moving, using his explosions to fling himself across the field. Mei panicked, dropping the launcher and flinging a flashbang and a smoke bomb at Bakugo. The stage vanished, first in a blinding flash of light, then in a cloud of thick dark smoke. Izuku strained his eyes, but failed to see anything.

Down on the stage, Mei was chuckling to herself, picking up her launcher and taking a few steps forwards. "How do you like my babies?"

"Honestly, you're worse than the nerd. You think a few toys and some tricks are going to stop me?"

Out of the smoke, Bakugo appeared, a wicked grin slashed across his face, his eyes gleaming with eagerness. Mei panicked again, firing the missile at point blank range. It wouldn't have had time to arm, but Bakugo swiped at it, exploding it with a blast from his quirk. That sent Mei flying to near the center of the stage, coughing and gasping. Bakugo stumbled back himself, grimacing in pain.

"You call that an explosion? You're pathetic! Why they even let you bring this worthless crap in is beyond me!" Bakugo complained, shaking his wrist to get some sense back into his hands from the recoil. He suddenly coughed, the strange mist from the missile coating him.

"Don't you dare insult our babies! Izuku worked really hard on those!" Mei shouted, jumping at Bakugo out of the mists.

Taken by surprise, Bakugo shuffled half a step back, raising his hand to fire off a blast. To his shock, nothing more than a few sparks appeared. His hands felt dry all of a sudden, and with a start Bakugo realized there had been something in those missiles that could cancel out his quirk. He had no time to think, however, as Mei was upon him, punching him square in the nose, then battering at his head and chest.

Reeling from the blow, Bakugo stumbled back through the still thick smoke for a moment, unable to use his quirk. After a second, he recovered, snarling and grabbing Mei. He threw her to the ground, then proceeded to jump attop her, straddling Mei and pounding at her face. Mei shrieked in pain and anger, clawing at Bakugo with her fingers, but the other boy was both bigger and stronger than Mei. While she had plenty of muscle, there was no overcoming the sheer advantages of both testosterone and the years of fights and training that Bakugo had.

Slowly, Mei's struggles faded as Bakugo battered at her. In a final burst, she grabbed his hands struggling with Bakugo as he attempted to beat her down.

"Just give up so I won't have to hurt, you nerdette!" Bakugo wheezed.

But Mei was past reason, wailing and crying from the pain and noxious fumes. She dug her fingers into Bakugo, drawing blood with her short nails.

"Have it your way," Bakugo grunted. He pointed his palms at Mei, having at last worked up a bit of a sweat from his exertions, as the anti-perspirant didn't completely prevent him from using his quirk. He unleashed a decently sized blast right into Mei's face. The shock shattered her goggles, sending shards of glass into her eyes, and burning her hair and face. It was too much, and Mei fell back, unconscious.

Slowly, Bakugo got to his feet, panting. The swirl of smoke around him finally cleared, leaving him looking down at the broken and bloodied Mei.

"Oh God," Ms. Midnight gasped. "The match is over! Bakugo wins. Step away from her!"

Bakugo spat to the side, wiping his bloody nose. "Fine." He was unable to say more, blood covering his face and his broken nose making speech hard.

From the stands, Izuku watched, looking down as he gripped the bars with white knuckles. "No…" He whispered, tears leaking down his face. "Mei…"

"Oh man. That's harsh. Bakugo went way too hard on her. She's just from the support course! He had no reason to go all out," Ashido complained. "Sorry Midoriya. Bakugo...well, he's sort of an asshole."

"Bakugo," Izuku growled, tears and rage blinding him. For the first time in his life, something inside Izuku snapped. He lost all sense of reason, all sense who he was or where he was. A blinding, overwhelming need to destroy something, anything, especially what had hurt Mei filled him. He found himself trying to climb over the railing, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I'll kill you, Bakugo! You hear me? I'll kill you for what you did to Mei! I won't forgive this, not now, not ever! I'll kill you!"

"Woah!" Ashido gasped. "Midoriya, don't-Crap! Guys, guys help!"

Hands grabbed at Izuku, but he batted them away, screaming and trying to jump over the railing, despite the fact that he was at least 30 feet up. Bakugo just looked at him, holding his hand to his nose, glaring at Izuku.

"Midoriya! Midoriya calm down!" a voice, Iida a part of Izuku knew, shouted. "Help us, Kirishima! Get him down!"

Finally, Kirishima hurried forward, grabbing Izuku and hauling him back, having to activate his hardening quirk to keep Izuku from beating him.

"Dude! Calm down! Look, it's messed up what happened to your girlfriend, but relax! You can't do this or they'll kick you out, man!" Kirishimai urged.

Finally, Izuku managed to suck in a deep breath, tears still running down his cheeks as he slumped to the floor against Kirishima. "It's over, Bakugo," Izuku whispered. "I hate you. Not for what you did to me, but for what you did to Mei."

"What'd he ever do to you?" Ashido asked, confused, crouching in front of Izuku.

Kaminari winced. "Um, well, they sort of went to school together. Bakugo told me earlier. You know he's quirkless, and well, Bakugo…"

"Is a complete asshole. God, don't tell me he bullied a quirkless kid?" Ashido demanded.

Izuku didn't say anything, just panting and glaring down at his clenched fists. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm fine. Kirishima, right?"

"Yeah man." The red haired youth deactivated his quirk, and extended his hand to Izuku. "That was totally messed up. I'm sorry, man. I thought Bakugo was alright, but…"

"Now hold on, everyone," Iida interjected. "Bakugo is clearly injured. It looks like Mei put up quite a fight. Bakugo may have been harsh, but-"

"Dude, it totally isn't the time for that!" Kirishima exploded, rounding on Iida. "Midoriya's girl just got thrashed, and you're defending the guy who did it?"

"Not cool, Iida," Ashido huffed. "Bakugo totally crossed a line."

Iida flushed, but didn't back down. "Well, perhaps, but it was a fight and-"

Kirishima put a hand on Iida's shoulder. "Dude. Not. The. Time."

"It's fine," Izuku sniffed. He scrubbed his eyes. "I must be a mess. Sorry, I have to get ready for my match."

"Um, looks like you're facing me, actually," Kirishima said. He rubbed the back of his head. "Look man, I know you just had a rough time, but-"

"Come at me with everything you have!" Izuku yelled, making a fist and glaring at Kirishima. "I want to get into the hero course! If you think for one second you should go easy on me just because I'm quirkless, you're wrong! Hit me with everything you have, and I'll prove to the world I deserve to be a hero! For Mei!"

Kirishma took a step back, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I was just gonna say, can't take it easy on you, man. I aim to make it to the top too. Plus, I mean, you kicked Ashido's ass. No offense."

"None taken. He's good. You'll have to bring your A game, Kirishma! Good luck to both of you!" Ashido said, smiling and giving them both a thumbs up. Then she suddenly stepped forward, pulling Izuku into a quick hug. "And, I'm sorry about Hatsume. She'll be OK, Recovery Girl came out to get her."

There had been a time when Izuku would have flinched from such a show of physical affection, especially from a girl his age. Now though, he just closed his eyes and hugged Ashido back, giving her a firm squeeze. "Thanks. I'll be OK. I just hope Mei is too."

"I'll go check on her, Midoriya. Good luck! And I'm rooting for you to get into the Hero Course! You're totally gonna be an awesome hero!" with that Ashido left, hurrying off towards the infirmary.

"I guess I should go get ready for our match," Kirishima said. He extended his hand to Izuku. "May the best man win."

"Yeah. Thanks. You too," Izuku said awkwardly. Kirishima laughed and slapped him on the back, then headed towards his waiting room.

"Midoriya, a moment?" Iida said quietly.

Izuku turned to face the other boy, who had a serious expression on his face. "What is it?"

"I know you care for Hatsume, Midoriya," Iida began. "I understand that it can be hard to see someone you love get hurt. But Hatsume knew what she was getting into and-"

"No she didn't!" Izuku exploded. "She doesn't understand! I tried to tell her, but she gets like this sometimes and won't see reason! She becomes obsessed and I don't know how to help her then!"

Iida shook his head and held up a hand. "Midoriya, I don't think you're giving Hatsume enough credit. She's clearly an intelligent young woman and-"

"She's got a disability!" Izuku snapped, sticking his own finger out at Iida. Part of him could hardly believe how rude he was being, but the other part of him was still full of that rage that needed venting. "I'm quirkless! She's got autism! We're both weakling freaks to Bakugo! She doesn't live in the real world! I have to take care of her, keep her safe! She doesn't remember to eat, or sleep, or take care of herself at all when she gets focused on something! She was so convinced that she needed to show off her babies to the world and that she could handle Bakugo because she's never been in a situation where she was threatened, especially by Bakugo!"

"Well I have! I spent years getting pushed around by Bakugo, because I thought of us as friends! But he never did! He was offended at my very existence! Do you know why? Because I'm quirkless! And now, he hates Mei because she's with me, because she's different too! Well, I'm not going to allow that anymore! Do you understand me? I won't let that happen!"

Iida took a step back, a look of horrified bewilderment on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't...I didn't know...Midoriya, I...I am sorry. That's...that's truly vile. I didn't think even someone like Bakugo could do that to a person."

Izuku sniffed and looked away, feeling tears come into his eyes. "He told me to kill myself, once. I think...I think maybe if I hadn't met Mei...but that doesn't matter now. I did meet Mei. And I am going to become a hero. Part of that is saving people in trouble. And the other part? It's justice."

With that, Izuku turned and walked back to the preparation room. Part of him wanted to be at Mei's side. Maybe even most of him. But he knew what he had to do. He needed to win his next two fights. Then, he could see Bakugo in the finals.

"Don't you dare lose, Bakugo. Not before I have a chance to teach you that just because someone is different, doesn't mean they're worthless."

_Authors Note:_

_I won't be going over every fight in gory detail, but in case you care:_

_Round 1: Midoriya V. Ashido: W Midoriya_

_Bakugo V Hatsume: W Bakugo _

_Todoroki V Kendo: W Todoroki_

_Bondo V Uraraka: W Bondo_

_Yaoyorozu V Yanagi: W Yanagi_

_Fukidashi V Shinso: W Shinso_

_Iida V Tokoyami: W Tokoyami_

_Kirishima: Bye_


	12. Finding the Heel

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_12\. Finding the Heel_

_If a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. Hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word."_

_-Terry Pratchet, Men at Arms_

It took just over half an hour for Izuku's next match to start. In that time, he refitted the Power Suit with HE and flashbang missiles, and recharged all the power supplies. It was hard, doing it without Mei, but Izuku was determined not to fail. When the time came, he loaded himself into the suit, and strode out to the arena floor.

"From the Hero Course Class 1A, it's the stalwart Eijiro Kirishima!" Kirishima walked out, cracking his knuckles and grinning as the crowd cheered.

"And of course, you all know him by now, it's the Quirkless Wonder, Izuku Midoriya!" This time the crowd went wild for Present Mic's announcement, though Izuku hardly noticed it.

Izuku walked into the ring, no waving, no showboating. For once, he wasn't paniced or nervous. Calm filled him. He could do this. He had to do this. For Mei.

"Again, no hard feelings," Kirishima said, activating his quirk. His skin turned hard as stone, and spikes of rock formed on his arms and hands.

"No hard feelings," Izuku agreed.

"Begin!" Ms. Midnight called.

Kirishima came straight on, just as Izuku had figured he would. But he wasn't playing that game. Jumping straight up, Izuku activated his jet pack and hoover boots, then launched his grapple at Kirishima. He dodged to the side, but Izuku hadn't really been trying to hit him. Instead, he flew around Kirishima, using the grapple as a tether. In short order, he had Kirishima wrapped to the grapple spear, bound tightly.

Izuku landed, keeping tension on the line. He slowly reeled himself in as Kirishima struggled, but the high tension wire cable was too much for him to easily break. Izuku yanked out the spear with one hand, then tossed Kirishima into the air, tugging on the other end of the cable to maintain tension. He spun around and around, whirling Kirishima like a hammer throw. He let fly, sending the other boy soaring through the air to crash into the stadium wall.

"Um, wow, that was fast. Midoriya wins!" Present Mike called, but Izuku ignored it. He clambered off the stage, walking over to pry Kirishima out from the wall.

"Friggin' ow," Kirishima muttered. "Thanks man. Geeze, you are strong! And smart. I never even saw that coming!"

"Sorry. But I had to win," Izuku said, helping Kirishima to his feet.

"Hey, no worries. I told you to come at me hard. You kept your word, like a man." Kirishima extended his hand, and Izuku grasped it. His pressure sensors screamed as he squeezed back, Kirishima's grip literally hard enough to crush boulders.

"Thanks. It was a good fight," Izuku said.

Kirishima laughed. "Easy for you to say! Looks like I got a lot of work to do if I hope to keep up with you. Good on you, man. I think you really can make it all the way. But you'll probably face Bakugo or Todoroki in the finals. That's gonna be tough."

Izuku shrugged, the motion slightly exaggerated by the Power Suit. "It had better be Bakugo. It's time he learned that quirkless doesn't mean worthless."

Izuku and Kirishima's match had been the first of the second round, which gave Izuku more time to refit the Power Suit. He felt fairly useless, as while he was good at the minor repairs and refits, he couldn't diagnose if there were any deeper problems. Mei had always been better at that, and being able to tell if there were any problems with their creations by sound, smell, and touch, instead of relying on tools and instruments like Izuku had to. Still, the Power Suit was in fairly good shape. The damage so far had been minor, and thanks to his short battle with Kirishima he'd expended minimal power.

He glanced up at the monitor to see Shinso win another easy victory against Yanagi from class 1B. She seemed to be aware of his quirk to a degree, but after a brief fight she'd slipped up and answered something Shinso had said, then simply walked out of the ring. As for Bakugo, he blasted away at Bondo, easily escaping the glue Bondo threw at him and then knocking Bondo right out of the arena in one solid hit.

This time, it was Bakugo's turn first. His match with Todoroki was long and taxing, but even with a last ditch effort using both his fire and ice powers, Todoroki just couldn't overcome Bakugo's skill and determination, leading to a win by TKO after Cementos and Ms. Midnight both decided the match was too dangerous to continue. However, Todoroki had a bit of a break down after using his fire powers, and was trembling with exhaustion, barely able to stand. This led to Bakugo being declared the winner, much to his consternation.

"He didn't try hard enough!" Bakugo complained as he was led away.

Then it was time again. Izuku climbed back into the Power Suit, taking a deep breath. This time, he'd be going up against someone he considered an ally and a friend. But he couldn't say a single word.

"This match of the semi finals is one for the history books, folks!" Present Mic declared. "We have not one, but two students from outside of the Hero Course, an unprecedented event! No matter what happens, one of them is going to the finals!"

"Coming out now is the mysterious Hitoshi Shinso! His weird but powerful quirk has led to uneventful but decisive battles! He's gunning for the Hero Course, and with skills like his, he just might make it! But can he defeat the unstoppable titan?!"

"You know him, you love him, he's the Quirkless Wonder from the Support Course, Izuku Midoriya! Can he reach the finals to face down his legendary rival Bakugo and avenge his fallen love? Let's find out."

Izuku stood across from Shinso, who gave him a crooked smile. "You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"

Izuku didn't respond, only falling into a ready stance. To his surprise, Shinso motioned to the crowd for quiet. After a few seconds, the stadium fell silent.

"Shinso, what is the matter? Do you wish to delay the match?" Ms. Midnight asked.

"I have something to say," Shinso said, turning to the crowd. He put his hand on his chest, extending his other arm out in a broad gesture. "I was born with a powerful quirk! As most of you have probably guessed, I can use it to control others. I won't tell you exactly how, but Midoriya already knows the secret. And frankly, that's the match."

"Are you forfeiting?" Ms Midnight prompted.

"Just a moment," Shinso said. He continued on to the crowd, "I was rejected from the hero course. Just like Midoriya was. We don't fit society's definition of what it means to be heroes. He was born quirkless, and I was born with a quirk that scares people. They label me a villain, and him useless."

"Well look at us now!" Shinso pointed to Midoriya, a twisted smile on his face. "We're at the semi finals of the UA sports fest! Now, normally, even backed into a corner like this, I'd try to take on Midoriya. I'd fight for all that I'm worth. Because I too can be a hero. I can use my quirk to save lives, to help others, in ways that people with flashier or more conventional quirks could never dream of."

"But today, I'm going to do something else that a hero needs to be able to do. I'm going to step aside. True, Midoriya could probably beat me anyway. But he's out to prove something bigger than what I am trying to do. I'm trying to prove that my quirk is good enough. I'm doing this for me. But Midoriya? Midoriya is doing this for every man, woman, and child who is Quirkless."

"Our society rejects those who don't fit the mold! We tell people, you can do this, you can do that, but don't try to be something else. Well today, Midoriya is something else. He's proven he's the strongest, fastest, most qualified person in the entire first year at UA to be a hero. But he's not in the Hero Course. Because he's quirkless. I ask you, is that right?"

There were mutters from the crowd, many of them uncomfortable. "It's too dangerous!" someone shouted.

"Really?" Shinso demanded. "Did you see him during the cavalry battle? Because he took on the whole damn school and won, even when every single one of them were gunning for him. I might have helped, but frankly I did it because I thought he could win even without me. I rode him to victory, not the other way around."

"I think Izuku Midoriya can be a hero. No, that's not true. I think Izuku Midoriya can be the greatest hero we've ever seen. We just have to let him."

With that, Shinso turned back to Ms. Midnight, and stepped backwards out of the ring. "I forfeit."

Ms Midnight nodded. "Izuku Midoriya wins the match by default!"

Shinso shrugged, then turned to Izuku. "Prove me right. Don't let the rest of the Quirkless down."

"I won't," Izuku tried to say, but found his voice was raw and husky with emotion. Instead, he nodded and bowed.

Shinso seemed to accept that, and turned away, walking out of the stadium.

"Well, um, that was something! I guess it's down to the grudge match of the century! Midoriya Versus Bakugo! Can these old friends reconcile their differences on the battlefield? We'll find out, in 15 minutes!"

Instead of leaving, Izuku crouched down, waiting. He'd already loaded the suit for Bakugo. He had known he could easily beat Shinso as long as he kept his mouth shut, since the suit gave him overwhelming force. He hadn't wanted to hurt the other boy, but he had also been determined to win.

"Thank you, Shinso," Izuku whispered. "Thanks for reminding me this is about more than me. More than Mei. I have to show the world that being Quirkless doesn't mean you can't become something more."

After the allotted time was up, Bakugo strode out onto the field, his clothes plastered to his skin with sweat. So, he'd learned. Izuku knew Bakugo had needed to see Recovery Girl to mend his wounds from his fight with Mei and Todoroki, he had to be at least a little tired. But he knew about the anti-perspirant, and he was ready. That didn't matter. Izuku stood up, waiting for Bakugo atop the stadium.

"You really do think you're better than me, don't you, nerd?" Bakugo demanded as he walked up the steps. "Or are you just mad that I hurt your girlfriend?"

"Furious," Izuku said, falling into his fighting stance once more. "But this is about more than that, Bakugo. Once, we were friends. I would have done anything for you. I looked up to you, admired you, for your strength, your drive, your courage. I was blind to your flaws. But now, I see them. And it's time for me to open your eyes."

"You talk a lot. But that's all you've ever been good at, isn't it? Your girlfriend made you that suit. Now she can bury you in it," Bakugo snarled.

Izuku clenched his fists, readying himself, but Ms. Midnight stepped out onto the field. "Now I want a nice, clean fight. From both of you! No reckless displays of violence! If the other fighter goes down, you stop, you understand me? If I have to step in, I'm disqualifying the offender. You won't even take second place!"

"Whatever. If he's down in the dirt, who cares about a medal?" Bakugo demanded. "Everyone will know who won this, no matter what you do. So will you get out of my way, or are you going to try to protect the freak?"

Ms. Midnight's lips formed into a tight line. "I won't accept any hate speech either, Bakugo. Especially not for his being quirkless."

"Oh will you give it a rest? He's a freak because he's a nerd, because he's a cry baby, because he thinks he's better than me, and because he hangs out with the nerdette. His being quirkless is just a result of him being weak."

Ms. Midnight blinked. "Young man, I think you need therapy. But I'm going to let this match go on, if for no other reason that I think you're about to learn a valuable lesson."

"Yeah right. I'll show you what it feels like to have you idiots eat your words. Now get out of my way!"

Ms. Midnight glanced at Izuku. "I will stop the match if you rough him up too much."

Izuku nodded. "I won't leave him any more battered than he left his other victims."

"That seems fair," Ms. Midnight agreed. She winked at Izuku. "Just make sure you're not too rough with Hatsume later, either. You are a naughty boy." With that, she giggled and stepped out of the ring. "Begin!"

Bakugo came straight at Izuku, launching himself forward and up into the air, expecting Izuku to do what he'd done at the start of the cavalry battle, and at the start of each of his matches. Instead, Izuku ducked and straffed to the side, launching out half a dozen antiperspirant missiles. Bakugo dodged most of them, shielding himself with a volley of explosions, but the field was still coated in the misty spray.

"Damn you!" Bakugo roared. "Don't think you can stop me so easily! I worked up a nice sweat before we even started!" He rubbed his hands on his shirt to get more fuel, then flung more explosions at Izuku.

Now for the second part of his plan. Izuku fired off the other six missiles he had, all loaded with anti-acid foam. The missles flew up a few feet, then exploded, coating the entire arena and both combatants in a thick layer of foam.

"The hell is this?" Bakugo spluttered, shaking the foam off of himself. "What are you even-"

He was interrupted by a sudden explosion that flung him into the air as all the sweat in his shirt detonated.

"Nitroglycerin is unstable," Izuku commented. "But it's even more unstable in a basic solution. Which that foam is."

Bakugo gasped and tried to rise, but more tiny explosions covered his body. He cried out in pain, twisting and writhing as every sweat gland on his hands that wasn't blocked by the anti-perspirant continually exploded as soon as sweat formed. His convulsions only coated him in more foam, causing even more reactions.

Seeing Bakugo broken and bloodied on the ground did something to Izuku. While he was still angry at Bakugo, he also felt pity for him. The rage went out of his heart, and Izuku felt sick, knowing he was responsible for the humiliation and breaking of a boy who had once been his friend. But he still had to win.

"It's over, Bakugo." Izuku walked forward, grabbing Bakugo by the collar and preparing to fling him out of the arena.

"Damn you," Bakugo hissed. He clapped both his hands onto Izuku's arm, causing a small blast. Bakugo flinched back in pain, but Izuku's armor was only dented: the blast had been too weak to do much. Izuku felt as though he were manhandling a child now.

"You can't beat me! You're just a worthless nobody! A weakling! I'm better than this!" Bakugo wheezed.

"You were born with a gift, Bakugo. I envied you for it. But you've turned that gift into a handicap with your arrogance." Izuku grabbed Bakugo with both arms, squeezing hard enough to crush the air from Bakugo's lungs. Izuku winced when he heard a crack, and he knew he'd broken at least one of Bakugo's ribs. He hadn't meant to do that; he'd wanted to simply force Bakugo into giving up without hurting him further. The real disgust though came when he realized at least part of him was reveling in his former friends pain.

Gently, Izuku lifted Bakugo up. "He's done! End the match!" he shouted to Ms. Midnight.

"I...I.. can still fight," Bakugo cried. He coughed, and a few flecks of blood escaped his lips. "Don't, don't you dare-"

"He needs medical attention!" Izuku called, but Ms Midnight was already running over, ripping her sleeve to release her somnolent mist. Izuku's mask kept it out of his system, but Bakugo mercifully passed out.

Gently, Izuku lifted Bakugo into his arms, then carried him over to Recovery Girl, who was hurrying out onto the arena floor. Looking down at Bakugo, broken and bloody, a lot of the hate drained out of Izuku. Instead of feeling good about beating his long time tormenter, he just felt...empty. What had he taught Bakugo? That if you were stronger, you really could beat up someone weaker than you? That hadn't been what he'd wanted. He set Bakugo down so that Recovery Girl could use her quirk, and stepped back.

"Broken bones, bruises, and multiple lacerations. You kids just don't know how to take it easy, do you?" Recovery Girl asked. After bending over Bakugo and administering her quirk, she looked up at Izuku. "Do you feel better now, young man? Did revenge feel like you thought it would?"

"No," Izuku admitted, feeling dull and empty. "Mostly, I'm just worried about Mei. How is she?"

"In the first aid station. You can go see her now, but don't get her too excited. She needs rest. Her eyes were badly damaged. I fixed the worst of the injuries, but she'll need days of rest yet before she's at 100%."

Izuku deactivated the Power Suit and climbed out, tossing his helmet aside. "I'll make sure she gets it, ma'am. Thank you."

Hurrying through the halls, Izuku's heart pounded with worry. He threw open the doors to the infirmary, wildly looking around and-

"Hey! You! How did my babies do? Did Izuku win? Did everyone see him beat up Bakugo?"

Mei was sitting up in bed, a bandage wrapped around her eyes. The typical manic grin was back, and she was humming to herself softly as soon as she finished speaking.

"Mei, you're OK!" Izuku cried, hurrying over and grabbing her hand. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Izuku! You didn't answer my questions! What about our babies? Are they OK? Did they work? Was everyone impressed? Did you beat Bakugo?"

"I did," Izuku whispered, squeezing Mei's hand. "I won Mei. Everyone saw how amazing you are."

"No, I'm pretty sure they saw how bad I am at fighting. I think from now on, I will exclusively leave the field testing to you, Izuku. I did not like it very much. But the Power Suit is OK? Bakugo didn't hurt it?"

"It's just fine," Izuku laughed, wiping away tears. "Hardly a scratch on it! Everything worked perfectly. I used the antiperspirant to prevent him from sweating, then sprayed him down with the anti-acid foam. It's basic so-"

"So it would react with his nitroglycerin-like sweat! Great thinking Izuku! Ha! I bet you blew him in half!"

Izuku looked away, feeling guilty. "Um, no. I sprayed him with the anti-perspirant first so it wouldn't kill him. I...I was really, really angry, Mei. Seeing you get hurt...it was the worst thing I've ever seen."

"It's a good thing you never came to my old school then," Mei observed. "That's one reason I like being at UA. With you around, I get beat up a lot less."

"Mei, I...I…" Izuku choked up, unable to speak, instead just squeezing Mei's hand.

"Izuku, do you need a hug?" Mei asked quietly. "Sometimes, people need hugs, Mr. Onizuka said. And it's OK."

"Yes," Izuku whispered, a strange mix of emotions swirling inside him.

Mei leaned over and gave Izuku a tight squeeze. "I like hugs. You hugged me two days ago. I think you should do it more often. I liked it."

"I'll hug you whenever you like, Mei," Izuku promised, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'll never let that happen to you again."

"What? Hugs? You just said you'd hug me!" Mei said, sounding confused.

"No, I mean, Bakugo hurting you. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

"Well that's really stupid."

Izuku blinked, jerking back. "What do you mean? Mei, I just want to protect you."

"Well I'm glad, but you told me not to fight Bakugo. I didn't listen. And you can't protect me all the time. Are you going to try to take away my welding torch like my teachers used to do? Because I hurt myself all the time with that. Not as much anymore, but look here. See the burns? I had to go to the hospital so many times 'cause I burned myself. I will be very upset if you try to take away my welding torch."

"No, I mean, I mean prevent you from being hurt by other people," Izuku explained.

"Well you can't do that either. Other people still hurt me all the time. You hurt me sometimes, but I think it's because you care about me. I don't like it when you make me leave our babies and go get food. But I'm also glad you do it later because I really was hungry. Are you going to stop doing that?"

"Um, no," Izuku admitted.

"Well, then just be my friend, OK? And tell me if I'm doing something stupid, like fighting another Bakugo. Just say that. 'Mei, you are trying to fight Bakugo again.' And then I will remember and listen better. Even if I'm not actually fighting Bakugo. It's a reminder."

"Uh, yeah, I understand," Izuku agreed. "I...I guess I just felt responsible, because Bakugo really hates me."

"He is a jerk," Mei agreed. "I don't like him. He's mean to you."

Izuku shook his head. "You don't like him because he's mean to me? Mei, he just beat you bloody!"

"Yeah, but he gave me a chance to give up. I just forgot that I could, because I really wanted to show off my babies. But I used a smoke bomb so no one got to see anyway. Kinda silly, huh?"

That brought Izuku up short. "Bakugo tried to get you to give up?"

"Uh huh. A couple of times. But I didn't listen. He was still mean though. He hurt my babies. And he broke my goggles! That's baby number 1! I'll never forgive him for that."

"Ok. We'll make new goggles Mei, together," Izuku promised. Now he felt guilty about telling Iida that Bakugo had deliberately targeted Mei for being disabled. Truth be told, Izuku didn't really think Bakugo had gone after him just for being quirkless, but he had been too angry to think straight then. Oh well. Iida probably wouldn't spread it around much anyway.

Mei thought about that, humming to herself softly for several seconds. At last, she nodded. "I think I like it better when we make our babies together, Izuku. I used to think I wanted to make babies by myself forever with no one to bother me. But now, I think I want you to keep bothering me, forever. Let's keep making babies together, OK? They're way cuter that way."

"Ok, Mei," Izuku agreed, a warm feeling suffusing his body. On an impulse, he leaned over and hugged her again. "We'll keep on making babies together forever."

"Well, I think it's high time someone had a talk with you two."

Izuku jumped about three feet straight in the air from a sitting position, causing Mei to gasp in surprise.

"Recovery Girl!" Izuku gasped, clutching his chest as his heart thundered. "I didn't hear you come in!"

"You were involved. Sit down, young man. Tell me, has anyone ever had the Talk with you?"

Izuku blinked. "Um, we get talks all the time, usually about not exploding the lab."

"Yeah, Izuku caused two explosions! I was really proud," Mei said happily. "He mixed the propellent wrong. I warned him, but he didn't listen!"

Izuku winced. He'd thought he'd known better than Mei, which was a mistake all on its own.

"Oh, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the Birds and the Bees," Recovery Girl stated, pulling up a chair. "Sit down, young man."

Blushing, Izuku sat. "Look, when she says making babies, she really means-"

"You can make whatever excuses you want. It's high time someone sat the two of you down. Now, I'll ask again: has anyone ever told you two about the Birds and the Bees?"

"They're both pollinators," Mei said helpfully. "Biology isn't really my strong point. Can we talk about Strong and Weak forces instead? I like that a lot better."

"Oh, we're going to talk about a strong force and attraction, alright." Recovery Girl reached into her pocket, rooted a round a bit, and to Izuku's mortification, pulled out a condom.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Nope, I can't see right now," Mei said brightly. "Izuku, what is it?"

The conversation went rapidly downhill from there in Izuku's opinion. As it turned out, no one had ever talked to Mei or Izuku about the Birds and the Bees. And Recovery Girl was something of an expert on the subject.

_Authors Note:_

_In case you care:_

_Round 2:_

_Midoriya V Kirishima: W Midoriya_

_Todoroki V Tokoyami: W Todoroki_

_Shinso V Yanagi: W Shinso_

_Bondo V Bakugo: W Bakugo_

_Round 3:_

_Bakugo V Todoroki: W Bakugo_

_Midoriya V Shinso: W Midoriya_

_Round 4: Midoriya V Bakugo: W Midoriya_

_Final Ranking:_

_1st Midoriya_

_2nd Bakugo_

_3nd Shinso, Todoroki (Tie)_


	13. The Payoff

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_13\. The Payoff_

_Luck is when opportunity meets preparation._

_-Seneca_

Izuku stood proudly atop the first place podium beside the Power Suit. He'd requested that Mei be allowed to stand beside him, but Recovery Girl had vetoed the idea before anyone else could come up with a good reason to reject it.

"That girl needs bed rest for the next few days! Be grateful I'm giving you young Bakugo until the ceremony is over! Then that boy is right back on bed rest!"

Thinking of Bakugo, Izuku glanced at his one time friend. Bakugo stood dejected and listless, his eyes on his feet, his body posture slumping and defeated. Izuku had expected an explosion of rage when Bakugo had laid eyes on him again. Instead, Bakugo had gone pale, looking down and not meeting Izuku's eyes, or saying anything. Now he stood like a statue, oblivious to the addulation of the crowd.

"And now, to hand out the medals, the one, the only, All Might!" Present Mic called.

Izuku watched as All Might did a swan dive into the stadium to the roar of the crowd. He smiled and waved, giving a short speech. Izuku's mind was elsewhere though. He looked over at Todoroki and Shinso. Shinso stood with his hands in his pockets, looking a little bored. Todoroki seemed more alert than Bakugo, but still looked disappointed in himself.

"Ah, young Shinso! You did well, coming this far! Truly, you showed the strength of your convictions," All Might said, placing the medal over Shinso's head. "You too, young man, can be a hero."

"Thanks," Shinso said, straightening slightly. A slow thin smile crept over his lips. Not for the praise, but because All Might was recognizing him as a potential peer.

All Might pulled the young man into an embrace. "But you need to learn not to just rely on your quirk. Before you can be a pro, you've a long way to go. See this medal not as the final goal, but as a challenge to do better!"

"I will, sir!" Shinso vowed, nodding fiercely. "I will be a hero!" All Might pumped Shinso's hand one last time, then walked over to Todoroki, who was staring at his shoes, nearly as dejected as Bakugo.

"Young Todoroki, you have not failed this day. Not yourself, and not your father," All Might said.

At the mention of his father, Todoroki looked up, his eyes flashing. "I am not my father."

"No, you are not," All Might agreed. He pulled Todoroki into a hug too, causing the boy to stiffen slightly, as if he were unused to such a display of affection. "But you are also your own man, all of you. Even your quirk. Learn to embrace all of who you are, and you will be well on the path to surpassing even me as a hero."

A wet gleam entered Todoroki's eyes, and he suddenly closed them. Awkwardly, he squeezed All Might back. "Yes, sir."

Next, All Might turned to Bakugo. "Young man, you already have much of what it means to be a hero. Determination, drive and-"

"What does it matter?" Bakugo mumbled. "I lost. I lost to a quirkless nobody. What does that make me?"

"Proud."

Bakugo suddenly looked up, confused. All Might knelt, poking Bakugo in the chest. "It makes you guilty of a sin I've had to struggle with for years: Pride. You think too highly of yourself, and not highly enough of others, Bakugo. You're just as strong and capable now as you were before you lost to Midoriya.

Let go of that pride, Bakugo. It's one thing to be proud of your accomplishments. It's another to be proud of what you were born with. One is a satisfaction in your own achievements. The other confuses luck with ability. Learn the difference." All Might hung the medal about Bakugo's neck. "I'll be speaking with you more, I think. You've come a long way since the day we met, but it seems you still have lessons to learn. Keep that medal as a reminder that sometimes, we're our own worst enemies."

"My own worst enemy, huh?" Bakugo glanced at Izuku, and the pure despair in that gaze made Izuku flinch. "Yeah. Right."

Then All Might mounted the highest podium. He paused before Izuku, hefting the medal. "Somehow, I feel like I'm the worst possible person to give this to you, young Midoriya."

"Sir?" Izuku asked, confused. His own emotions towards All Might were still mixed, but more and more Izuku had realized that he had been wrong to simply lash out in anger at a man trying to protect a young boy. Besides, if All Might had never told him no, would he even have met Mei?

"You remember. I know I do," All Might said gently. He suddenly turned to the crowd. "I want you all to know that even I, All Might, can be wrong. And today, that is proven before the world. You see, once, not that long ago, I met young Midoriya. He was just another fan, and I had a moment of weakness. He asked me, 'I am quirkless. Can I be a hero?' I told him no."

There was an intake of breath and a buzz of conversation. Izuku felt something catch in his chest, and his breathing grew rapid. "All Might?" Was it going to happen again?

"Today, Midoriya proved I was wrong. I was short sighted. I told him that without a quirk, he could not be a hero. That he should just give up on his dream. I wanted to spare him pain and disappointment. What I did was wrong. I acknowledge that now."

All Might suddenly pointed, straight at the cameras of the press. "Whoever is out there, watching. Wherever you are, whatever you are. You too can be a hero. It's not going to be easy. It's going to take endless hard work. It's going to take dedication. Some days, you might feel like giving up. But don't. Remember Izuku Midoriya. Remember the boy with no quirk, who proved that he could be a hero. One day, the world will look back, and remember Izuku Midoriya not as quirkless, but as one of the world's greatest heroes. Mark my words."

All MIght turned back, kneeling down and smiling at Izuku. "I asked you once before to forgive me. Can you find it in your heart to do it again? Forgive a tired old man for a mistake, even one that must have hurt deeply?"

Tears filled Izuku's eyes, leaking down his cheeks, but he nodded and whispered, "Yes."

All Might placed the medal around Izuku's neck, putting both hands on his shoulders.

"Young Man. You too can be a hero."

Izuku fell to his knees, weeping. "I just...I just wish Mei could have been here, with me. She's...she's the only one who believed in me. Even when I didn't believe in myself."

"Then don't lose her, Midoriya. If you must give up all else, even your dreams, don't lose young Hatsume. To have a true friend, one who will be at your side, even in your darkest hour, is a precious thing. Do that, and you'll have a prize greater than any I could give you."

"Yes, sir," Izuku whispered.

All Might suddenly stood, grabbing Izuku's hand and raising it to the sky. "Izuku Midoriya! The Winner of this Year's UA 1st Year Sports Festival! Let's all give him a great big cheer! Are you ready?"

"PLUS ULTRA!" the crowd shouted.

"Good job!" All Might said. The crowd erupted in jeers as All Might looked embarrassed.

Izuku couldn't help but laugh. It seemed like something Mei would have done.

Much later, Izuku was helping Mei back to the school. She absolutely refused to ride in a wheelchair, but she was willing to have Izuku lead her. She contentedly held Izuku's hand, trailing after him and humming to herself. It was a soothing sound by now to Izuku, and it helped calm his still frayed nerves. Somehow, they'd be OK. They were just about to exit the building when a bandaged wrapped man blocked their way.

"So. You're Izuku Midoriya," the man said, his voice muffled by his layers of wrappings. He looked somewhat like a disheveled long-haired mummy.

"Um, can I help you?" Izuku said, taking half a step back and protectively extending an arm to guard Mei.

"Who is it, Izuku?" Mei asked impatiently. "Remember, I can't see!"

"I suppose I'm hard to recognize right now," the man said. "I'm Shota Aizawa, the head of the Hero Course instruction."

"Oh!" Izuku said, dropping his arm. "It's OK Mei, this is one of the teachers. He's also known by the name Eraserhead."

Aizawa nodded approvingly. "I see you've done your research. Well, come with me. We have a lot to talk about. Vlad's waiting for us."

Aizawa led Izuku out of the stadium building, his stride firm and steady despite his injuries. Instead of taking the main way back, Izawa led them to a parking garage, where Sekijiro Kan, alias Vlad King, was waiting for them with a car. To Izuku's surprise, Shinso was waiting in the car as well, looking impatient.

"Get in," Aizawa ordered, taking a seat up front.

Izuku helped Mei inside, then squeezed in next to her.

"So, are you finally going to let Izuku into the Hero Course?" Mei demanded.

"Mei, Shinso is here as well," Izuku informed her.

"Oh hi. Did you like our babies?" Mei asked. "I heard Izuku beat you!"

"He would have," Shinso said before Izuku could correct Mei. "I forfeited, actually. Didn't feel like getting tossed around by that mecha of yours."

"Power Loader has a lot of explaining to do," Kan, also known as the hero Vlad King, grumbled as he pulled out. "If he thinks I'm going to pay up now-"

"Not in front of the students," Aizawa said quietly. Kan subsided, though he continued muttering under his breath.

"So, are you finally going to let Izuku into the Hero Course?" Mei asked again. Shinso cleared his throat, but Mei didn't take the hint, as usual.

"We'll answer that later," Aizawa replied.

"Why? He beat everyone! Even that jerk Bakugo! You should kick Bakugo out and let Izuku in. He has much better social skills," Mei explained.

Aizawa glanced back at Mei, his lone visible eye peering at her. "I thought you'd be quieter."

"Nope! My form of autism doesn't include much verbal language delays. If anything, I have a hard time knowing when to be quiet. Hey Izuku, should I be quiet now?"

"Um, it might be a good idea, Mei," Izuku said gently. "Just take it easy. You're still hurt."

"I'm not hurt that bad. Hey, could you take these bandages off? I'm sure I'll be fine."

"W-w-well, Recovery Girl said they should stay on for at least two more days. I um, I think maybe we should listen to her, Mei. Remember when you stayed up all night when you had a cold, then you had to rest for two days? It's like that."

"Fine," Mei sighed. "But you'd better take care of our babies while I'm sick. I expect lots of reports!"

"Why don't we take care of you first, Mei. Then we can take care of our babies together," Izuku said squeezing Mei's hand; she hadn't let go when they got in the car, and Izuku didn't see the need to separate himself from her. In fact, she was pressing herself up against him, and unlike he usually did, Izuku didn't back away or remind Mei about personal space.

"Why did you bring the girl?" Ken said with a sigh. "You're not seriously considering letting her into the Hero Course, are you?"

"We'll talk about it," Aizawa said as they pulled into the staff parking lot. "Come on. Let's go up to my office."

Izuku carefully undid Mei's seat belt, then helped her out of the car. She grabbed on to his elbow as they went up the steps, and didn't let go. She didn't seem frightened or concerned in the slightest, just that she wanted Izuku close to her. It surprised him how much she was willing to trust him. If he couldn't see, would he be able to trust Mei like this? Maybe. At least, he could trust her to look out for him. Not so much not to take him into the girls restroom because she forgot they were together.

At last they came to Aizawa's office, where Principal Nezu of all people was waiting, a full tea service out with steaming cups. Along with the Principal sat Mr. Maijima, this time in his formal suit and tie.

"Welcome, everyone! Congratulations, Midoriya, on your excellent performance! And you as well, Shinso and Hatsume," Nezu said.

"Actually I did pretty terrible," Mei said cheerily. "Did you see? Bakugo totally beat me up! But Izuku said he didn't hurt my babies so it's not all bad."

"Just take the compliment, Hatsume," Mr. Maijima said, shaking his head slightly. "Good job, you two. You just won me ¥50,000 each. Sorry, Shinso. I didn't bet on you."

"Considering I didn't even know about it, no offense taken," Shinso said blithely.

"I know you did something, Loader!" Kan growled. "They knew all about everyone's quirks! You've been trying to sneak a fast one past me for years, but I'm not going to-"

"Not in front of the students!" Aizawa growled again, causing the other two teachers to fall silent.

Principal Nezu chuckled, serving up tea for everyone. "It's all in good fun. Besides, I think they should be proud that you had so much faith in them, Maijima."

"Here, Mei, it's tea," Izuku said, handing her a cup.

"Can I have coffee or an energy drink instead?" Mei said, grimacing at the tea she couldn't see. "I don't like tea."

"Mei!" Izuku hissed. "Social skills!"

"Thank you for the tea," Mei said robotically. "It is very nice."

"It's not a problem. Kan, will you grab the young lady a coffee from the teachers lounge? I think she's earned it. How do you take yours?"

"Half sugar, half coffee," Mei said eagerly at the same time as Izuku said, "Two sugars."

Mei sighed and nodded. "Two sugars. I probably don't need to think about wonderful babies right now, even if Izuku is here."

Shinso eyed Izuku over the rim of his tea cup, one eyebrow raised in a questioning fashion.

"It's really just the inventions," Izuku sighed. "We're not even...well, I mean, we're not really even boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Really?" Mei asked, sounding hurt. "I thought we were friends, Izuku. Does that mean…"

"That's all very fascinating." Aizawa said, setting aside his untouched cup of tea. "And completely irrelevant. You're here because both of you have stated you want to be in the Hero Course. Is that still the case?"

"I don't want to be in the Hero Course," Mei began. "That's Izuku-"

Izuku squeezed her hand, and Mei lapsed into silence.

"Well, I suppose I should explain why you're here anyway, Hatsume," Aizawa sighed. "Yes, I'm going to give Midoriya, and Shinso too, a chance to join the hero course. But you're here because if Midoriya joins the Hero Course, I have the feeling that it's going to be in large part thanks to you. I want to know just how much."

"It's basically entirely because of her, sir," Izuku said quietly, swirling the tea in his cup. "I was ready to give up on being a hero. Mei changed that. She believed I could be a hero when no one else did."

"He was very heroic," Mei added. "He saved me and my baby from a dumpster. But Izuku is too modest! He is a great hero and hard worker! And he makes lots of stuff for our babies too!"

Mr. Kan returned and handed Mei her coffee, which she enthusiastically began to guzzle. Mr. Aizawa took the opportunity to continue uninterrupted. "That's not exactly what I'm talking about. I mean the gear. What percent of that does she make, Midoriya?"

"Most of it. I basically just do the wiring and power systems. I'm a bit better at those. Um, mostly because, well, Mei's are prone to exploding the first few times."

"It's true," Maijima put in. "The boy's a damn fine electrical engineer. I'd say he's at least as good as a master electrician right now. He's a natural. Better than a lot of college grads too. Picked most of it up on his own from Hatsume or internet tutorials."

"But most of your gear, that suit, the grapple, the missiles, the jet pack and those boots, she made all of those, right?" Mr. Aizawa asked. When Izuku nodded, Mr. Aizawa sighed. "Well the thing is, Midoriya, that actually puts us in a tricky situation. Technically, you shouldn't have been able to use half that gear in the sports festival. Not just because you didn't make it, but because it was military grade equipment that could have easily been lethal."

"I'm going to have to have a very long staff meeting discussing what is and isn't allowed for Support Course students to have in the future!" Mr. Nezu said brightly. "But don't worry, Midoriya. We're not going to take your laurels. Frankly, even with all of those marvelous machines, it's a wonder you were able to overcome all of the Hero Course students. Some of their quirks should have utterly crushed you."

"But they didn't, because he cheated," Kan grumbled. Izuku noted that he wasn't looking at him, but rather at Maijima.

"We did not! Our babies are just super cute and amazing!" Mei said, setting down her empty coffee cup with a smack of her lips. "Did you see us? Izuku was so amazing! He's the best test pilot ever! Let me tell you, I've tried a few times, but I'm not as good as he is!"

Aizawa rubbed his temples with both hands. "I see. So, Hatsume, the question for you is this: Are you willing to work extra hard to continue to provide Midoriya with his gear?"

"You mean I won't have to go to my classes anymore?" Mei asked eagerly. "I can move into the workshop! I won't ever have to leave, I can just work round the clock with Izuku! He can move in too! He's actually a good cook, he'll make sure we get the right food and go to bed on time and I remember to shower and brush my hair! And we'll do nothing but make super cute babies all day long!"

"Hatsume. Midoriya wouldn't be with you all the time if Midoriya joined the Hero Course," Maijima said gently. "He'd have other things to do."

"I'd still help you!" Izuku put in quickly. "It would just be more like when we were in middle school! We wouldn't have all our classes together anymore, but I would help you whenever I could!"

"Oh." Mei deflated slightly. She considered this. "Could I join the Hero Course with Izuku?"

That made Izuku whip his head around. "Mei?! You want to be a hero? I thought you just wanted to work on your inventions!'

"Well, yes, but I also want to be with you. Going to school is much more fun and interesting when you're here, Izuku," Mei said as if that were the most natural thing in the world. "I'd rather still be in your classes and just work with you in my spare time too."

"That's...not exactly what we were talking about," Aizawa said slowly.

Maijima leaned over and whispered something to Nezu, who frowned. "I see. She doesn't talk to their peers at all. Not once?"

"Not unless they or Midoriya started the conversation," Maijima confirmed quietly. "He's her whole world, basically. And frankly, she's his too."

"I don't have time for childishness in my course," Aizawa said with a shrug. "I won't tolerate any fooling around. Nothing past first base as long as either of them are in my hero course."

"Why do heroes have to play baseball?" Mei demanded.

"It's...not quite like that," Maijima said hesitantly. "Mei, well, she doesn't think the way most people do. You've heard of Autism Spectrum Disorder?"

Aizawa grunted. "Why don't we just all assume I'm a competent teacher, that will make all this a lot easier. I had, in fact, noticed that Mei exhibited such tendencies, but I think that they're largely irrelevant. My course doesn't teach social skills."

"That's good, because those are really boring," Mei commented.

"-however, I may be willing to make an exception," Aizawa concluded. He looked at Mei steadily. "Will you or will you not be willing to work extra hard to continue to provide Midoriya with support gear, in addition to your own workload?"

"I said yes," Mei grumped. "Obviously I'm going to make super cute babies for Izuku forever. But what does that have to do with baseball?"

"It means that you'd best not try to make it to second base, as long as Izuku's in the Hero Course, and definitely no home runs," Mr. Aizawa answered. Izuku wondered if he could still get into the hero course if he crawled under his chair and died.

"So does that mean we're in?" Shinso demanded. "Will you let Midoriya and I into the Hero Course now?"

"Not by a long shot. Neither of you are even close to ready," Aizawa stated. He held up a hand. "Before you argue with me, know that I don't mean I don't think you can be heroes. We wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise. I mean, you're not quite ready to enter the Hero Course. And Hatusme, if you interrupt me, I'm going to make you wait outside without Midoriya."

Mei closed her mouth, looking frustrated at being preempted.

"The fact of the matter is, you two might have the potential, but you lack the basic training our hero course candidates have had. You haven't had the right kind of Quirk counseling, for one. Well, I suppose that's only a factor for Shinso, but Midoriya's going to need some help. How's your physical fitness?"

Mei raised her hand. Aizawa sighed and looked to Izuku, who nodded. "Yes, Hatsume?"

"Izuku runs 10 kilometers every day! He does 100 sit ups, 100 push ups, 100 squats too! And then he does different kinds of training every day like different weights and pull ups and balance training and martial arts katas and I make him do extra practice with the Power Suit!"

Aizawa blinked. Or winked, it was hard to tell with one eye visible. "Really? That's a fairly intensive daily routine for a kid. Maybe you're not as far behind as I thought. How fast can you do the run, Midoriya?"

"I average about 54 minutes, but when I'm pushing myself I can do it in 50. My best time is 45. With the Power Suit, I can do it in about 10."

"That thing is that fast?" Kan asked, clearly surprised.

Maijima grinned. "Oh, it is. And I bet you they can figure out how to make it stronger and faster. He couldn't do it if he weren't extremely physically fit. About the only time Izuku does something that isn't with Hatusme is when he does his daily training. I think he actually runs all the way to her house and changes there most days."

"Um, yeah, actually, that's pretty much what I do," Izuku admitted. "I do the rest of my exercises throughout the day. It's called The Hero program. I found it online."

"I'll look into it, but I imagine it's plenty," Aizawa said. "You, Shinso?"

"Well, I thought I was doing fairly well. I have good scores in PE, but I don't do much beyond that," Shinso admitted.

"That changes now. You don't need to quite be doing what Midoriya is, but-"

"I'll do everything he does," Shinso vowed. "If he can do it, so can I."

Aizawa nodded. "Good. You need more than one trick. You can't be a pro if your quirk is all you have; to be a pro you need more than one trick. That quirk of yours is powerful, but you will find yourself in situations where it isn't enough. Just like I do. I'll train you in a few techniques I have. Your power is somewhat similar to mine. Believe it or not, I was rejected from the Hero Course as well, and started off in general studies for a year before they moved me over."

"Really?" Shinso asked, intrigued. "I never knew that, sir."

"It's not exactly common knowledge," Aizawa said with a shrug. "Plus, we do make it hard to get into the Hero Course. Both of you aren't ready just yet."

"What about me, sir?" Izuku asked. "What do I need to do?"

"You'll need to pass a few tests I have for you," Aizawa explained. "Plus, you'll need to prove to me you do know how to use that gear of yours in a variety of situations. For example, those missiles you had were expertly tailored to counter specific quirks; I looked over the manifest. Someone gave you access to information on all the students' quirks, didn't they?"

"Um, yes, we got it from Mr. Maijima. We were working on some support gear for some of the hero course students. We made a special set of capacitors for Kaminari to prevent him from overloading himself, and we're going to make some other stuff too."

"I'm making a storage tank for the acid girl!" Mei added. "She visited me in the infirmary! Did you know she's pink? She says she is, but I don't remember. Anyway, we're going to make her some super cute babies to help her store then spray her acid! Like those stupid, ugly things Bakugo has for his hero costume. We're not making any babies for him!"

"That's cheating," Kan grumbled. "They had insider information!"

"That's smart," Aizawa countered. "They did their research, like a smart pro does. They evaluated their opponents' quirks, and then figured out how to cancel them or reduce the advantage they had. Tell me, how did you plan on dealing with Todoroki?"

"Um, we put in a system that vented heat to the exterior surface," Izuku explained. "And the Power Suit is flame resistant. But, um, well, we maybe underestimated how strong he is."

"But our baby is totally cute and amazing and handled it all anyway," Mei added.

"Then you got lucky, and were smart enough to avoid a direct confrontation when you realized you were at a disadvantage," Aizawa said, ignoring Mei. That was starting to bother Izuku. She was a person too after all. "Like I said, smart. Being quirkless, you will need to heavily rely on gathering intelligence and adapting your gear to what the situation calls for. But, you also seem to have some general trump cards. For one thing, that suit seems to be fairly physically strong, plus that grapple and jet pack give you excellent mobility. It's a good start."

"Frankly, we have to apologize to both of you," Nezu put in. "Midoriya, Shinso, the fact is, our entrance exam isn't perfect. It does favor flashy, combat related quirks. Those like you or Mr. Aizawa are at a distinct disadvantage."

"Just like you will be in the field," Aizawa agreed. "So the test is valid. Life isn't fair. If you're going to cry about it, I don't want you in my course. Understand?"

"The plan is, we train you until next semester," Kan stated. "You pass muster at the end of the summer, we let you in."

"Won't you have to cut someone for us?" Shinso asked.

Kan shrugged. "Maybe. But you two are promising enough we're willing to work harder ourselves to give you kids a chance."

"And Mei?" Izuku asked.

"She can go to hero classes with you," Mr. Aizawa explained. "Maijima assures me that he has to physically bar her from sleeping in the workshop, so I don't think you'll fall behind in your support course duties."

"I keep telling him there's room for a bed there," Mei grumbled. "Izuku and I could even share."

Shinso and Izuku both turned red, but Aizawa pointed to the door. "You interrupted me. Hallway. Count to 100, then knock."

Mei sighed, but got up and fumbled around for the door, until Izuku led her outside. Then she began to count. Loudly. Izuku winced and shut the door. "Um, sorry. She, uh, well-"

"Has her own set of unique issues," Aizawa said. "But she's good. Very good. Without her, you being in the hero course wouldn't even be worth considering, Midoriya. But I'm willing to take a chance. Are you?"

"Yes!" Izuku agreed quickly. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good. Now, here's what I am going to expect of both of you," Aizawa said. He and Kan then outlined a multi-tiered training program, with duties split between them. Kan would train them on Search and Rescue, first aid, and hero law. Shinso would learn a special combat technique from Aizawa to make up for the holes in his quirks abilities. Izuku would have to train hard with the Power Suit, learning how to use it in a variety of complex situations. They'd essentially be doing an entire semester and a half of Hero Course work in addition to their regular studies.

Halfway through, Mei knocked on the door and called for Izuku, who quickly helped her back in. She actually sat quietly, humming to herself for a bit, then fell asleep on Izuku's shoulder, apparently exhausted.

"Well, that covers everything. Are you still willing to try?" Nezu asked. "It's more than we ask of our normal students."

"We're not normal," Izuku said, fondly looking at Mei. "I sort of like it that way."

"Well," Shinso said, a smile tugging at his lips. "I suppose I don't mind being considered abnormal for a change."

Aizawa nodded. "Good. You start before school on Monday."

_Authors Note:_

_Once again, I am a humble Special Education teacher with no degrees outside of Elementary and Special Education. The information depicted here is fictional, and any relation to real persons is unintended. This is not a breach of confidentiality. _

_Incoming Psychiatric Evaluation_

_Name: Shinso, Hitoshi_

_Age: 15_

_Sex: M_

_School of Origin: Saitama One Middle_

_Quirk: E-3_

_Evaluator: Inui, R_

_Assessors Notes_

_Hitoshi is a typically developing adult male of 15 years of age. His scores on testing and interviews with parents and peers indicate that he is in the average range for cognitive, social, adaptive, and academics. Hitoshi is a 3rd generation quirk user. His quirk was double inherited. The maternal side of his family possesses emitter quirks that allow them to soothe or calm others by singing or speaking to them. On the paternal side is an emitter quirk that allows users to impair motor functions of those who answer verbally to questions. _

_Hitoshi's quirk is known as Brainwashing. It allows him to seize control of anyone who answers verbally to Hitoshi. Hitoshi has good command of his quirk, and can choose to either activate his quirk or leave it dormant. Peers report that he has never used his quirk on others since he was a young child, save for two incidents. In the first, Hitoshi broke up a fight in 8th grade by forcing two combatants to stand still and wait for teachers once they had answered him. He faced disciplinary action for this, though others state he prevented serious injury. The second was to protect his elderly grandmother when a villain attempted to mug her while on an excursion with Hitoshi. Police largely overlooked this incident, citing that Hitoshi had simply held the criminal still until authorities had arrived, and that the perpetrator was possessed of a heteromorphic quirk he was using to threaten Hitoshi and his grandmother. _

_Hitoshi has expressed that he wishes to become a hero, and seeks to use his quirk to help people. However, he failed the entrance exam to the UA hero course. He was admitted to general studies on the merit of his academic achievement. Peers report being afraid to talk to Hitoshi, though they admit that he has never used his quirk on them. There is no evidence that Hitoshi has ever used his quirk for personal gain or to exploit another, outside of the aforementioned incidents. _

_Due to the nature of his quirk and how easily it could be abused, it is recommended to continue monitoring Hitoshi. It is also recommended that Hitoshi be monitored for hero potential. His quirk is powerful, and while unconventional, does have a large degree of merit in hero work._

_Addendum: Shota Aizawa has vouched for Hitoshi following his performance at the UA 1st Year Sports festival. Pending approval, Hitoshi will be transferred to the Hero Course when he meets the expectations of Mr. Aizawa. _


	14. Take Me Out to the Ballgame

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_14\. Take Me Out to the Ballgame_

_Love can be found in unexpected places. Sometimes we go out searching for what we think we want and we end up with what we're supposed to have._

_-Kate McGahan_

"Believe it or not Izuku, I think this is the longest Mei has gone without an extended visit to the hospital anyway," Hari said as Izuku helped Mei out of the car.

"It's true!" Mei agreed, clinging tightly to Izuku as he led her up the steps to the Hatsume shop and home. "I haven't even managed to set the house on fire since we got into UA!"

"Um, Mei, I don't know if that's really a good thing," Izuku said, wincing slightly. "You really should just take it easy and rest for a few days."

The door suddenly banged open, and Komaru and Nikawa rushed out, both aof them grinning madly. For a moment Izuku thought they were going to attack him for hurting their sister, but then they both started cheering.

"You won Midoriya, you won!" they cheered.

Izuku blushed, looking down. "Well, it was because of Mei's help that I got as far as I did."

"No way! You were super awesome!" Komaru said, jumping up and down.

Nikiwa nodded, and began shadowboxing. "You were like bam! And then pow! And then you totally crushed that Bakugo jerk!"

"He was very mean," Mei agreed. "But Izuku and our super cute babies triumphed so it's alright."

"Oh yeah," Nikiwa said, frowning at Mei. "So, are you like, blind now or something?"

"Shoo, both of you! She needs to lay down!" Hari scolded. "Sheesh. Leave her and Midoriya alone for ten seconds you little monsters."

The boys made way, but they started arguing about which of Izuku's fights had been the most impressive.

Once they were inside, Mrs. Hatsume came over, wrapping Mei in her arms. "Oh my goodness! Sweetie, we were so worried about you!"

"But proud," Mr. Hatusme said, coming over and grasping Izuku's hand. "You did good, son. Taught that brute a good lesson. He'll think twice about messing with my baby girl again!"

"It's OK mom, none of our babies were hurt too badly," Mei said. "Except for number 1, but we can rebuild the goggles better than ever!"

"Doc says her eyes will be fine in a day or two, but to leave the bandages on and keep her in bed for the next few days," Hari told her parents. She slapped Izuku on the back. "Don't worry, like I said before, this is far from the worst she's ever managed to hurt herself, Midoriya."

"I still feel bad," Izuku mumbled, looking down. "If it hadn't been for the anger Bakugo felt towards me, I don't know if he'd been so willing to hurt Mei."

Mr. Hatsume shook his head. "That boy seemed like he didn't care who he had to crush to win. Besides, Mei's told us he was cruel to you even before you enrolled at UA, and that you were never the one to pick fights."

Izuku looked up, surprised and looked after Mei, who was being led upstairs by Hari and her mother. "Really? I didn't think Mei would ever mention something like that…"

"Son, Mei talks about two things. You, and what you're building together. That is, in fact, about a 100% increase in her conversational subjects."

"Oh. I guess...I didn't think about it that way," Izuku admitted. He looked after Mei again, almost wishing he could follow after her, and could stay by her side while she healed. But that wasn't an option. "I felt...really bad. I couldn't do anything to save her! I tried to get Mei to forfeit, to not fight Bakugo, or to take the Power Suit herself, but she wouldn't listen! I'm sorry I failed…"

Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Mr. Hatsume smiling at him. "I know you care for her, son. I do too. And sometimes, the hard part about loving someone, especially someone like Mei, is that you have to recognize that you don't control them. That you have to let them make their own choices and mistakes. I'm glad you tried to help her avoid this, and wanted to jump in and save her. That's noble of you. But it's also a little selfish and foolish."

Mr. Hatsume sighed, looking up the stairs towards where Mei had gone. "There was a time when I tried to keep her from building stuff, because when she was 5 she tried to make some damn fool thing and the battery exploded, and she nearly got battery acid in her eyes and went blind. But then she made her own goggles and told me she would be fine. And try as I could, I couldn't see any way to prevent her from following her dreams that wouldn't have crushed her."

"Her mother's the same way sometimes. Not about crazy inventions like Mei, but about cars. You might not know it, but she was a street racer for quite a few years. That's how we met. I was her mechanic. Told her time and again she was going to hurt herself. Well she did, but she didn't give up racing until we had Hari and she settled down to work in the shop. And honestly, if I'd tried to control her, I don't think she would have ever grown to love me. I helped her, I supported her, I told her when things were dangerous, and then I had to let her make her own decisions."

"Yeah," Izuku sighed. "I guess you're right. She's supported me in my dream to be a hero, so it's only right I support her in her dreams. I just...well, you know she doesn't always realize all the consequences, because...because of-"

"It ain't because she's got a disability, son," Mr. Hatsume chuckled. "It's because she's too smart for her own damned good and has a stubborn streak a mile long. Besides, she-"

"DAD!" Hari's voice shouted. "You need to come up here! Right now!"

Izuku made to run up with Mr. Hatsume, but he put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Just keep the boys distracted for a minute, will you? They think you're some sort of hero now."

Izuku turned as Mr. Hatsume ascended the stairs to find Komaru and Nikiwa practically vibrating with excitement.

"Are you a hero now?"

"Can we see the medal?"

"Did All Might really meet you twice?!"

"Do you think you could have beat Todoroki? He's Endevor's son!"

Izuku started to answer their questions, but only got through a couple before he felt Mr. Hatsume's hand on his shoulder again. This time, it was less reassuring, and more of a death grip.

"Son. We need to talk."

"Dad, dad, do you think-"

"You two go outside, and don't bother me or your mother or your sisters or Midoriya for a while. Get some money out of your mother's purse and get snacks at the corner store. Just disappear for a bit."

The two brothers cheered and ran off, leaving a now sweating Izuku alone with Mr. Hatsume.

"Son, I want you to know, I'm going to listen before I get real angry. I told Hari to stay up there before she tries to kill you," Mr. Hatsume said slowly, his eyes burning with a sinister light as he glared down at Izuku, his mustache quivering.

"I'm sorry!" Izuku wailed, bowing deeply. "I know it was my fault she got hurt! If she loses her eyes, I'll never forgive myself!"

"Not that!" Mr. Hatsume grabbed Izuku's shoulder and forced him upright. "I just told you, that wasn't your fault! No, I'm talking about this!" He held out his hand, opening it to reveal a condom.

Izuku groaned softly.

"Yeah. So, start talking," Mr. Hatsume said, his voice a half growl. "I do want you to know, I'm not going to kill you two for acting like teens. But they're going to need to be some ground rules, dammit and-"

"It was from Recovery Girl!" Izuku cried, waving his hands. "She, um, well, she thought we were dating, and well, um, she sort of assumed, because Mei keeps calling all our inventions babies, and talking about making babies with me, and um, well she thought-"

"Oh." For a moment, Mr. Hatsume looked vaguely disappointed, his anger vanishing. "So, you're not…?"

"No! I think of Mei too highly to, um, well, take advantage of her, or force myself on her or, you know do anything like that!" Izuku explained, feeling tears of frustration come to his eyes even as he turned beat red. "I know Mei doesn't...doesn't think of me that way."

Saying that hurt for some reason, even though Izuku knew it to be true.

"Really?" Mr. Hatsume said, raising an eyebrow. "Son, just what do you think she thinks of you as?"

"A friend," Izuku said immediately. Then he looked down. "And, well, a hero. She believes in me. Even when no one else did."

"Uh huh. Honey! Hari! We're coming up! Don't kill the boy, I think Mei has some explaining to do!"

Izuku was led upstairs, past the kitchen to Hari's bedroom. Mei's parents knew her well enough to know that if she stayed in her usual bedroom, she'd just try to take off her bandages and get back to inventing instead of resting.

"-and that's where babies come from!" Mei was saying. She was laying in bed, changed into a pair of pajamas, her eyes still covered in bandages. Her sister looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh, while her mother just looked tired. "But not the super cute kind. The ugly, human kind."

"You don't say," Hari giggled, a hand over her mouth. She looked up at Izuku, her eyes sparkling. "Sorry, Midoriya. Guess we jumped to conclusions when we found that in Mei's pocket."

"Is it the condom?" Mei asked. "I think you should give it to Izuku. He has to save it."

"For what, dear?" her mother asked with a heavy sigh. "You going to build some sort of device out of it?"

"For when we graduate. Then we can use it," Mei stated as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Recovery Girl said it was for girlfriends and boyfriends who were going to have-"

Mr. Hatsume let out a loud cough. He glanced at Mei, then looked at Izuku. "And why, exactly, does Izuku need to save that for graduation?"

"Because Mr. Aizawa told us we had to wait to play baseball until then," Mei said. "Izuku knows more about it than I do. I think you need a condom to play."

"Baseball?" Hari broke into gales of laughter, nearly doubling over. "You think you need a condom for baseball? You want to play baseball with Izuku?"

Mei nodded her head. "Yes, and then I want Izuku to-"

"Right. And you're wisely going to wait for highschool graduation then?" Mr. Hatsume demanded. "I'm not going to insist you wait until you're married, but I'd prefer you at least be responsible adults."

"M-m-mei?" Izuku stammered. "But that...but Recovery Girl...and Mr. Izawa...but-but, you want to be my girlfriend?!"

Mei looked towards Izuku, frowning slightly. "But we already went on a date. Doesn't that make us boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Hari continued to snicker, despite her mother elbowing her and giving her some rather scathing looks. Mrs. Hatsume cleared her own throat. "And when, exactly, did you go on a date, young lady?"

"When you gave us the 10,000 yen, which we definitely spent on having fun on a date, and not on hydraulic fluid and high quality electronics," Mei stated.

"We, um, got some movies and watched them at my place," Izuku said. He suddenly glanced around wildly. "But, um, my mom was there the whole time! We didn't, er, um, we haven't-"

"Izuku just found out what sex was," Mei said in a somewhat loud voice. "We learned a lot about biology today. And about what being boyfriend and girlfriend means! Apparently, it is not just eating together, having fun together, and making super cute babies."

"Right. Well, I think that's enough for today," Mr. Hatsume said somewhat faintly. He grabbed Izuku's arm and began to haul him away. "Good night, Mei."

"Did I miss dinner again? Can I have some before I go to sleep?" Mei asked as Izuku was pulled after Mr. Hatsume.

"Well, I guess now we both know a lot more than we wanted," Mr. Hatsume grumbled as he took Izuku downstairs. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a set of car keys. "Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

"Um, usually I run home, I didn't get my 10k in today because of the Sports Festival and-"

"I insist," Mr. Hastume stated. He opened the door. "Firmly."

Izuku slid into the car seat, glancing nervously at Mr. Hatsume. The older man didn't speak for a few minutes as he guided the car out onto the main road. He spoke up as he drove along the street. "Honestly, Izuku, you don't mind if I call you Izuku, do you? Good. Well, honestly Izuku, I wasn't even as mad as I should have been, thinking you and Mei were...well, let's just say I jumped to conclusions. But I wasn't that mad."

Izuku glanced at Mr. Hatsume. "Um, really?"

"Yes. Honestly, for a long time, I thought Mei was going to die alone. She was always more interested in things than people. She never had any friends. Not even when she was little. She was always taking things apart, putting them back together, seeing how they worked. She was never interested in people."

Izuku stayed silent as they drove. They came to a red traffic light, and Mr. Hatsume sighed as they stopped. "And then you came along. Nearly as socially awkward as Mei. A weird kid with a weirder dream. Well, the dream wasn't weird I suppose, just seemed impossible for a quirkless kid. No offense, but I honestly thought you were just as autistic as Mei at first. You kept stuttering, you'd never meet my eyes, and all you did was work with Mei day in and day out."

"I, um, I don't think I'm autistic," Izuku said, licking his lips. "T-t-they tested me, when they found out I was quirkless, but-"

"Don't care, really. Sorry. What I mean to say was, Mei had found someone who got her. Understood her. Put up with her. Because while I love my daughter, she is a complete pain. And I could tell, she made you uncomfortable sometimes. But you pushed through it. You kept coming back. You started to get good with electronics. Don't think I haven't noticed. You helped me and Hari diagnose those problems with the starter on that Toyota a few months back, remember?"

Izuku nodded. "It's...it's because Mei believed in me. I just...I needed someone who believed in me. And...and I think Mei needed a friend."

"You're damn right she did. And, well, you two got close. Really close. You spend all your time together. And, I have noticed that you find Mei attractive. I might be biased, seeing as she's my daughter and all, but I think she's a cute young woman. Do you agree?"

All Izuku could do was nod and hope his face didn't burst into flames. This had been quite the day. From the highest highs to the lowest lows.

"And, well, Mei likes you too. And, you're both healthy young people. Your mother and me and Noriko, well, we figured we had to keep a close eye on the two of you. But that...well, you were good for one another. And if it happened, it happened. But we trusted you. I take it our trust was not misplaced?"

"No sir," Izuku said firmly, looking up and meeting Mr. Hatsume's gaze briefly, before the older man had to turn back to the road. "I...I do like Mei. I maybe...maybe I even love her. But...but I don't know how to talk to girls. Er, well, I know how to talk to Mei, but not as a girl. I mean, I can talk to her but-"

"But you're both incredibly awkward. Mei couldn't express her feelings unless they were to a robot, and you have so little self confidence you'd never believe Mei could actually find you attractive or love you back," Mr. Hatsume observed.

Izuku licked his lips. "Do you think...she…"

"Mei thinks you are literally the most wonderful person in the world. As far as she's concerned, you can do no wrong," Mr. Hatsume said with a sigh. "And she has no shame. How many times have you seen her naked?"

Izuku blushed and looked down, unable to speak again.

"Uh huh. Well, I know the answer is not zero. And, well, if a cute girl that I liked walked in on me naked, I might get some ideas. And, well, Mei frankly doesn't get that physical intimacy can have… other aspects, or what the consequences are. And...and I'm a coward."

"What?" Izuku's head snapped up, and he looked at Mr. Hatsume in confusion.

Hands tight on the wheel, Mr. Hatsume's face grew red, and his eyes a little misty. "I just...I never knew how to talk to her about that sort of thing. And neither did her mother. And, until you showed up, Mei had zero interest in the subject. Hell, even after you showed up, she didn't understand what her own feelings meant. And you didn't seem to either. So...so I never had that talk with her. Or you. I don't mean to pry, but is your father around, son?"

"He...he lives in America," Izuku said, looking out the window. "I see him...sometimes. He sends me stuff on my birthday. And...and that's it. He, um, well...I think maybe...I think maybe he's embarrassed. Because I'm quirkless."

"Son, I want you to know something. Look at me."

Izuku turned to look at Mr. Hatsume.

"I ain't calling you son just because you're a young man. I'm calling you that, because I think one day, you probably will be my son. And I'd be proud to have you. You're a good man, Izuku. You're not finished yet, still need a little work under the hood as it were. But you're a good man. You got courage. You got honor. And you care a whole lot about my little girl. And, well, if she were going to...hell, play baseball or whatever you're calling it these days, I want it to be with you. Not some punk who's just taking advantage of my girl. You care about Mei. You love her, right?"

"Yes," Izuku whispered. He looked down, ashamed. "But I never told her that."

Mr. Hatsume sighed. "I hate to say this, but you might never hear it from her. At least not spontaneously. If you want her to say it, you'll need to tell her you like to hear it. Though then it's likely she'll start telling everyone she meets she loves you. But anyway, I don't think that matters to Mei. You heard her. She thinks you're dating. But she never asked you, or told you, or anything. She just figured she liked you, and you liked her back, and that was that. How her mind works."

"Yeah," Izuku chuckled, shaking his head. "We're both a bit weird."

"Understatement of the damn century," Mr. Hatsume said with a snort. He pointed ahead. "That your place?"

"Um, yes. You can just-"

"I'm going to need to talk to your mom, son. She needs to know this too. And you're so damned much like Mei that you'd probably never mention it just to not be a bother or something."

"M-maybe," Izuku admitted. Mr. Hatsume parked and followed Izuku up to the apartment. The door of course, slammed open before Izuku could even put his hand on it.

"Izuku!" his mother wailed, bursting from the doorway and wrapping him in an embrace. "I was so worried about you! After Mei got hurt, I could hardly stand it!" Then she stepped back, putting a hand to Izuku's cheek and smiling through the stream of tears running down her face. "I have to apologize, Izuku. All this time, I thought...I thought I was protecting you, by telling you not to try to become a hero. But...but I was wrong. You can be a hero! You're stronger, and smarter, and more capable than I ever realized and I-"

Inko trailed off, looking up and blinking, realizing that Mr. Hatsume was there.

"Hello, Mrs. Midoriya. I'm, ah, Shu Hatsume. We've talked on the phone a few times."

"Oh!" Inko said, bowing quickly. "Um, welcome to our home! Please, please come in! I know it's thanks to your daughter that Izuku won the sports festival! And I'm so sorry about Mei! If there's anything you need, I'll be happy to help! It was so awful when she got hurt, is that why you're here? I've told Izuku he needs to be more careful with Bakugo, that boy has always been trouble, since they were in kindergarten!"

"No, actually, that's not why I'm here, Mrs. Midoriya," Mr. Hatsume said, stepping inside. "It's actually about both of them. Our children."

"Oh! Well, I- wait, Izuku, what did you do?" Inko said, sounding half panicked. "You didn't get in trouble, did you? Was it Bakugo? Or Mei? Oh God, is she going to be alright? Let me get my coat, we can go to the-"

"Mom, it's fine. Mei's going to be OK. I um, I have something to tell you. And um, well, Mr. Hatsume wanted to talk to you too."

"Oh, well, I suppose it's a good thing we finally meet, you two being so close and all," Inko burbled. She hurried into the kitchen, putting on some water. "Tea? Or maybe something else to drink? I'm afraid we don't have much, Izuku only drinks protein shakes it seems like and-"

"Tea would be fine, ma'am," Mr. Hatsume said, playing with his ballcap in his hands.

Izuku noticed that Mr. Hatsume was a bit dirty, his fingernails coated with their usual grease, and his overalls and t-shirt stained as well. He supposed that Mei wasn't the only one who didn't always think about her appearance in her family.

Inko hurried over with cups of tea, quickly sitting down across from Mr. Hatsume. "Well, Izuku, what did you have to tell me? And why is Mr. Hatsume here?"

"I, um, well, you see…" Izuku swallowed and finally just blurted it out. "MeiandIaresortofdating."

Inko blinked, holding her teacup close to her face. "Well, I was wondering when you'd finally tell me." She glanced at Mr. Hatsume, biting her lip. "You um, you didn't catch them…?"

"They've behaved themselves admirably," Mr. Hatsume said with a heavy sigh. "It's just...well, I haven't been doing the best job of supervising them when they're over, and well, I mean, I didn't want you to think my daughter was...using your son."

"Mei? She's a sweet girl! If anything, I'm afraid Izuku's been dragging her off on his quest to become a hero," Inko said, sipping her tea.

"Honestly I always thought Mei just kidnapped Izuku and dragged him into her hair-brained schemes," Mr. Hatsume admitted, rubbing the top of his head. He kept putting on and taking off his hat, and had yet to touch his tea. "But, well, I um, I found Mei with...well this."

Mr. Hatsume produced the condom, and Inko's eyes widened. "Oh! Well, I mean, at least they're being safe?"

"Mom!" Izuku gasped, going beat red. "We haven't...we didn't-"

His mother eyed Izuku. "I'm not sure I believe that, young man. I've seen the way you look at Mei and how she looks at you. It's fine. Just be careful. Don't...don't end up like your father and I."

"What?" Izuku said, blinking rapidly. His mother and father?

Inko sighed. "A discussion for another time. At least I think the two of you actually love each other. But you're really too young to be doing anything foolish."

"I don't think they've tried anything yet," Mr. Hatsume said, looking deeply embarrassed. "And, well, honestly Izuku's a fine young man. I don't mind him dating my daughter. I just...well, I agree. They're too young. And, well, how much do you know about Mei?"

"More than I probably should," Inko admitted. "She's not shy at all about discussing much of anything. She, ah, once asked me if I had any extra...feminine products."

Izuku looked down, feeling even more embarrassed. Mei had, in fact, been somewhat vocal at times about how irritating certain aspects of the female anatomy were, and had Izuku fetch her supplies for it more than once. In fact, Izuku had stashed a few sanitary items in their corner of the UA workshop because Mei kept forgetting them.

"That's, um, well thank you. She, ah, needs help with that. Her mother and sister take care of that for the most part, but I...well anyway, what I really meant was, do you know about her condition?"

"Which one?" Inko said, with a faint smile. "I take it she's not in a family way?"

"No!" Izuku blurted, feeling mortified. "He means...he means about, you know. Autism."

"Oh that." Inko waved her hand dismissively. "They tested Izuku for that, when he was young. I don't think he really remembers. He was a bit awkward and socially withdrawn. Well, I suppose he still is. And there's his speech impediment. Mei's just a bit odd. Honestly, I'm sort of glad Izuku met such a brash young lady. He needs to be more forceful. I...I've always struggled with that, myself."

Izuk felt various aspects of his world rocking. He'd never known this about himself, or his mother for that matter. This was turning out to be a lot.

"Well Mei...Mei's definitely um, on the spectrum, as they say. She's...she's got a lot of issues. Izuku's been a real help with that, honestly. He...he cares about her, even though she ah, well, she tends to drive people away. She only is ever interested in her inventions, her babies as she calls them, and she's rude and has no sense of personal space."

"I think she's nice," Izuku muttered. The two adults looked at him, and he flushed and looked down. "Well, I mean, she is, well, she is Mei. But...but I like all of her. Even the...even the harder parts. Like her always touching me or um, well, the fact that she didn't seem to realize she was a girl and I was a boy for a long time. But...but I care for her anyway. Because she believed in me. And I believe in her. I think she really can change the world with her inventions. And I want to help her do it."

"That's good to hear, son," Mr. Hatsume said quietly. He finally took a long gulp of his tea, looking faintly relieved. "You've got a fine son, Mrs. Midoriya. I'm glad Mei found someone like him."

"He is special," Inko agreed, smiling at Izuku. "And I'm glad he found Mei. It's been a long time since Izuku had a real friend."

"But I mean, you two are, you know, OK with us dating?" Izuku managed. "I mean...we haven't really done, you know. Dating stuff."

"Son, if you think for one moment any part of your relationship with Mei is going to be normal, you're dumber than I thought," Mr. Hatsume chuckled. "What, exactly, did you expect to happen?"

"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "But...but I thought, you know. It would feel different. I don't...I don't feel any different about Mei, really. I just...I really want to be with her, to help her."

"Good enough for me," Mr. Hatsume rumbled. He awkwardly stood. "I've got to get back to the shop. Thanks for the tea. We'll talk some other time, Mrs. Midoriya."

Inko showed Mr. Hatsume to the door, then came back and sat down with Izuku, a wide grin on her face. "First you win the UA Sports festival, then you get a girlfriend! My little boy is growing up!"

"Um, thanks mom. But, um, there's something else," Izuku said quietly.

Inko eyed him sideways. "Are you and Mei sleeping together? I won't be mad, but if you are-"

"No! Definitely not! I just, well, this is just about me, really. They...they're offering me extra training. To get into the UA Hero course. I'm not accepted yet, but...but I could really do it. Become a hero."

Inko sat quietly for a long time, making Izuku sweat and feel nervous. At last, she spoke, almost timidly. "You're not...you're not mad at me, Izuku?"

"No! Why would I be mad?" Izuku asked, feeling rather baffled.

"Because...because I didn't support you. I didn't believe in you. I'm your mother, and I...well, I should believe in my son's dreams."

Izuku felt his heart skip a beat, but he made himself smile. "It's OK, mom. Mei was there for me. And...and you're here now."

Inko reached out, more tears trickling down her face. "Oh Izuku, you really did find the right girl. Yes. I'm glad to hear you'll be in the UA Hero program. And if I can do anything to help, I will. I believe in you, son. I always did, just not...just not in the best way for you."

"Thanks, mom. That means a lot to me."

_Authors Note:_

_Yes, I am now officially labeling this story with the IzukuxMei pairing. I held off on it until now because I didn't want to lure people in with a promise of a relationship that I knew was going to be a rather long, slow burn. While the relationship between Izuku and Mei is one of the key parts of this story, it is not the main theme of the story, and I didn't want to engage in false advertising. _


	15. Courage to Strengthen

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_Courage to Strengthen_

_There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded._

_-Mark Twain_

The sun was barely up when Izuku got out of the train station, and he ran all the way to school, his breathing steady, only a little sweat running down his face. He'd missed the day before's exercise routine after all, having been so exhausted he'd simply passed out after dinner. But now he was up and ready for a new day, a new life where he was finally on the road to being a hero.

Except, that wasn't really true. He'd been on that path since he met Mei. The only difference now was that others believed in his dream too. But as long as he had Mei, it would be alright. They'd make it through.

He arrived at school well before 6:00am, and set about doing the rest of his exercises. He put on his PE clothes and did his push ups, sit ups, and squats, then started running around the track. He took it easy, going at a steady pace, but not pushing himself too hard. After a few minutes, Shinso showed up, wordlessly setting down his pack, taking off his school jacket, and falling into place beside Izuku.

"Good morning," Izuku said, unsure of how to treat Shinso. He didn't know the boy well, aside from yesterday they'd never spoken before.

"Good morning," Shinso grunted, sweat starting to trickle down his face. "You do this everyday?"

"Y-y-yeah. Um, I sort of, change what I do. The running and most of the exercises are the same. But today's Monday, which means 100 lunges and 100 side to side jumps."

Shinso nodded. "And the other days?"

"Um, Tuesday is 100 curls and 100 bench presses. I, um, I'm at about 25 kilos for the curls, and 45 for the bench press. And on Wednesday, 100 jumping jacks and 100 jump rope hops. Then on Thursday 100 pull ups and 100 leg lifts with weights. Friday is 100 sitting toe touches and 100 seconds standing on one leg. E-each one. Then Saturday is 100 punches and 100 snap kicks, on a bag. I um, I have one at home, in my room. Sunday you just do the core routine."

Shinso ran quietly for a second, then shook his head. "That sounds frankly insane. How do you have time for anything aside from exercising?"

"W-w-well, I, um, I don't get out a lot," Izuku admitted. "A-a-aside from Mei, I sort of, well, I don't have any friends. And it only takes about two hours! Most of that is the 10k run, but if you work hard you can get it down to less than an hour!"

"Two hours of exercise. Eight hours at school. Two hours of studying, at least that's what I have to do. That leave's 12 hours. What do you do, aside from eat or sleep?"

"Um, well, actually, I...I only sleep for about 6 or 7 hours. And, well, Mei and I eat together as we work. So, um, I have about 4 hours to work with Mei. Usually...Usually I run to school in the mornings. It, um, it saves time. And I sleep over at Mei's house, or she sleeps at mine sometimes. To, um, save time."

"No wonder you two weren't 'playing ball'," Shinso muttered. "You're both too damn exhausted to do it."

Izuku blushed, looking down. That had a grain of truth in it. He was pretty tired most of the time. On Sundays, he usually slept for a good 10 hours, then spent the rest of the time with Mei. She seemed to need less sleep than he did, though she also didn't spend any time exercising.

After a few laps, Mr. Kan came out to watch them, his arms folded across his chest. Izuku and Shinso finished their lap, then came up beside him.

"Not bad," Mr. Kan mused. "You two might make it after all, if you show this kind of dedication every day."

"I'll do whatever it takes," Shinso vowed, clenching his fist. "Even this insane exercise routine Izuku's on."

"I looked it up. Honestly, when I was a full time pro, that was an easy day for me. My quirk, Blood Control, needs a strong physical body to work. Aizawa's the same way. We still hit the gym for a few hours everyday," Kan stated.

Shinso nodded slowly. "And I suppose I'll need a strong body if I'm not just going to rely on my own quirk."

"That would be wise. And what I'm going to start teaching you today." Without warning, Kan's arm and leg shot out. His arm connected savagely with Izuku's chest, driving the breath from his lungs. He retched as he sank to his knees, barely aware of the fact that Shinso was suffering similar effects from Kan's leg.

Kan grunted, looking down at the boys. "So, you don't know how to take a punch. I suppose that's a good place to start."

"Wasn't...expecting...one," Izuku gasped, painfully getting up on his knees.

"You're going to have to learn to always be on guard. Granted, that was a low blow, but when you're in the field, you need to be ready for low blows at any moment. Someone can turn hostile at the drop of a hat. Be prepared. Now get up."

Izuku and Shinso staggered to their feet, and Kan nodded. "Right. Well, before you learn how to throw a punch, you've got to learn how to take one. Come on."

Kan led the boys to the gym, where he had them put on pads and helmets. "In a fight, there's a lot of things that matter. One of the more important ones is how to get back up after you've been hit."

"Isn't it smarter to just...not get hit in the first place?" Shinso asked.

Kan shrugged. "Yeah. We'll be working on that too. Dodging is important. But at some point, you're gonna get hit. It's vital you get back up as fast as you can, or don't go down in the first place. Villians will take any opportunity to end you. No matter how good you are. Aizawa is frankly one of the best technical hand to hand fighters I've ever met. But he didn't end up looking like a halloween prop because he always dodges. Now, here's how you take a punch."

Kan tossed a padded striking stick to Izuku. "You're going to hit me in a moment. Don't be shy, you might hurt me, but I'll get over it. Hit me in the stomach. I'm going to tighten my muscles, and breath out, so that I can create a hard surface to deflect the blow. Ready?"

Izuku nodded, then smacked Kan with the stick across the stomach. The instructor grunted. "Not hard enough. Give it to Shinso."

Shinso gave it a shot as well, and Kan sighed. "Guess we'll have to work on how to hit, too. You're afraid of hurting me. Most novices hold back at first. Well, I'm going to beat that out of you. Now, I'll hit you."

That morning, Izuku developed a large array of bruises across his torso, arms, and legs. Kan showed them how to roll with a blow, how to block a hit, and how to get back up when you were knocked down. It was an exhausting hour and a half, and when it was over Kan simply jerked his head towards the showers. "Get cleaned up. School starts in 20 minutes. Make sure you're not late to class. Don't go to Recovery Girl until lunch at the earliest. You've got to learn to work through pain as well."

Groaning, Izuku and Shinso stumbled into the showers, the hot water washing away only some of the pain they felt.

"Is it going to be like that...every day?" Shinso gasped.

Izuku shrugged. "I don't know. But...but if it is, I'll keep going. I'm not giving up."

"Yeah. I suppose I shouldn't either."

School that day turned out to be torture, and not just because Izuku ached from head to toe. Everyone kept looking at him, talking to him, congratulating him. But the only person who's praise he really cared about wasn't there. Mei was still at home, resting and recovering. At lunch Izuku tried to eat in the cafeteria, but ended up back in the workshop when he grew anxious without Mei there. He ran several diagnostics on the power suit, cataloguing the damage and looking at what systems had suffered the most. Overall the suit was still in fairly good condition, but the rough stress it had undergone had revealed several flaws.

Then it was back to class. Izuku made sure to take careful notes, promising each of the teachers he'd share everything with Mei. Most of them were also congratulatory, with Mr. Maijima practically preening whenever he saw Izuku. Apparently, Kan seemed to have paid his bet off, though Izuku got the impression it was more the principle of the thing.

At the end of the day, Izuku hurried out of school, heading straight for the train station. Usually he stayed late, but he didn't see any reason to waste more time in the workshop. He headed straight for Mei's house, running all the way from the station.

"Hey there, Midoriya," Hari called as he hurried into the shop. There was only one customer, an old woman who was snoozing in a waiting chair. Hari was minding the counter and doing paperwork, her face smudged with less grease than usual.

"Hey, Hatsume. Um, how's Mei doing? Is she OK?"

"She's driving everyone nuts is what she's doing," Hari laughed. "Go on up, she'll be glad to see you."

Izuku hesitated slightly, glancing nervously about for Mei's parents.

"Oh go on," Hari said, shooing Izuku to the back of the shop where the living quarters were. "We've taken your word on you behaving yourself so far. Not like any thing's changed."

"Um, thanks," Izuku said, bowing slightly, then hurrying to the back and up the stairs to Hari's room, where Mei was staying.

"Izukuk?" Mei called as he opened the door. "Is that you?"

"It is, how'd you know?" he asked, leaving the door open as he entered.

"You didn't take your shoes off," Mei said, grinning mischievously "Better do that before mom catches you."

Izuku let out a yelp and quickly removed his shoes, then sat down beside Mei's bed.

"How are our babies?" Mei demanded. "Did you check on them?"

"Yeah, let me read the diagnostics from the Power Suit," Izuku said. Mei listened, commenting on various things as he read off the status of the various systems.

When he was finished, she nodded. "Well number 47 seems to be holding up at least. I'm glad they had their daddy to take care of them! Now, if you can help me take off this bandaid-"

"Mei, I think you're supposed to leave it for another day at least," Izuku said gently, putting a hand on Mei's to lower it from the bandages.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just so boring," Mei grumbled. "I've done nothing but sit here all day. I never do that!"

"Yeah, I know," Izuku said, smiling faintly. Even when Mei was sick, she ended up working on something. Idleness wasn't a disease she was cursed with.

"Did you start with Mr. Aizawa yet?" Mei demanded, interrupting Izuku's reverie. "What did he teach you about being a hero?"

"He's still hurt too," Izuku explained. "It was Mr. Kan. Um, he taught me how to, er, get hit."

"Well that's not very hard. I thought you didn't want people to hit you," Mei said, sounding slightly irritated.

"Um, more like, how to get hit, but not let it stop you," Izuku added.

"Oh." Mei cocked her head to one side. "That might have helped against Bakugo, I guess."

"Yeah." For a time, they just sat there together, Mei leaning back, apparently content to relax now. The only sound was her tuneless humming as she fiddled with the edge of her sheets.

For once, it was Izuku who broke the silence. "Mei, um, about...about what you said yesterday."

"I said lots of things yesterday. You're going to have to be more specific," Mei said, sitting up slightly.

"I mean about...about us dating," Izuku said, looking down.

"Oh! I have another condom, if you want to try baseball. I know we said we wouldn't but I-"

"N-n-not that!" Izuku said, going beat red. He suddenly smiled. "Not that...not that I don't sort of want to. But, um, I think I sort of promised your dad to behave myself. And Hari. So, not that. No, I mean, do you really...do you really want to be my girlfriend?"

That made Mei frown slightly. "Well, I wouldn't be if I didn't want to."

"You really mean it?" Izuku asked, feeling tears come to his eyes.

"Yes, I said so, didn't I?"

"I know, it's just...well, I mean, I really do like you, Mei. Not in a...um, friend sort of way, but-"

"You don't want to be friends?" Mei whispered, her hands going suddenly still.

"No! I mean, yes, I mean...it's...it's different, being boyfriend and girlfriend. I just...I wanted to make sure you... know, you understood that."

"What? It just means you really like that person and want to spend all your time with them and maybe play baseball," Mei said confidently. Then she paused. "I am not sure about the baseball, or what it has to do with dating, but I think if I did it with you it would be at least a little fun. But could we make a special bat? I've been thinking, and I bet if we added some rocket motors to the bat, or maybe put a magnet in the ball with a gyroscope and then modified the bat with a powerful electromagnet it would be much more interesting."

"Mei that's just...that's just a metaphor for physical intimacy," Izuku said, now struggling not to laugh.

"Like hugs and stuff? We already do that. What does that have to do with baseball?" Mei demanded.

"It's just...you know, I don't really know," Izuku admitted. "That's sort of how metaphors work. They're just weird things people say that mean something else."

"Well, I still think the rocket bat would be fun," Mei said with a shrug. "But what about this boyfriend and girlfriend being different than friends? Aren't we still friends?"

"Yeah, but, well, you can only be dating one person at a time. And...and it means you, you know. Love the other person."

"Ah." Mei considered that. "Well, you're my only friend. Ever. And I don't think I would ever find someone I like better than you. I think I do love you. But no one has ever really explained love to me. I think it's like how I feel about my babies, but I'm not sure."

"You're my best friend too, Mei," Izuku said quietly, taking her hand in his. "And I think it is sort of how you feel about your babies. It means you believe in that person, no matter what, and accept them, even when it's hard, and help them. And...and you've sort of been doing that for me, since I met you. I don't know what I did to deserve it."

"Well, you did it for me," Mei said as it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So I should just do it back. No one else ever did."

Izuku felt something tighten around his throat. "Yeah. I...I know what that feels like."

"It's really strange," Mei said, pulling Izuku closer to her. "You're not even ASD. But you are quirkless, so I guess that's kind of the same thing. Both of our brains are different. Sometimes, I wished I were like our babies, so that I could fix myself to be like other people. I used to wish that a lot. I tried to make things that would make it so other people liked me. But then I met you, and I realized I didn't need to do that."

"Yeah. It's...it's nice to have someone who cares about me. Not...not someone who just pities me."

"I hate that," Mei said, sudden venom in her voice. "Everyone always acted like I was less than them. I wanted to fix myself to add something, not take things away! And you're the best person I've ever met, so maybe more people shouldn't have quirks, so they could be more like you! Actually, maybe I won't have my quirk when my eyes get better. So then we'll be the same!"

"No," Izuku said quietly. "I want you to be the way you are, Mei."

"That's good," Mei said. "Because I think I'm pretty great too."

They spent the rest of the evening going over what had happened in class, even in English. Mei wasn't too thrilled to go over a lot of it, but she seemed happy enough that Izuku was there. Mrs. Hatsume brought them dinner, warm miso soup with a bit of chicken in it. When Izuku looked up, he realized with a start that it was getting late. He and Mei had gotten absorbed in working on their Physics homework, and well, just talking about how they could apply it to the various things they wanted to build.

"It's getting late, kids," Mr. Hatsume said, poking his head in. "Izuku, why don't you bunk with the boys tonight? You seem like you were beat to hell today."

"Yeah," Izuku agreed with a yawn. "OK."

He headed over to Mei's brother's room, but they were both asleep already, snoring softly. Izuku lay down on the pallet that the family had set aside from him, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered briefly if this was what the rest of his life would be like. He smiled. If it was, he could have gotten a much worse life.

_Authors Note: _

_I'd like to thank everyone for the huge positive reception this story has gotten so far, especially after I posted the last chapter. I've tried hard to write a good story and it means a lot to me that so many people are enjoying it. Please stay safe out there, everyone. It's a crazy time to be alive and I hope my story makes your day just a little better. _


	16. Crumbling Foundations

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_16\. Crumbling Foundations_

_I don't need a successor, only willing hands to accept the torch for a new generation._

_-Billy Graham_

The next two days continued in much the same way, though Kan varied Izuku and Shinso's training slightly. One day, they practiced how to take a fall. Another day, they practiced how to read an opponent's body language to avoid or soften a blow. Shinso started arriving just as early as Izuku to complete the training regime. It was obvious he found it incredibly punishing, and Izuku encouraged him.

"It was really hard when I started too," He told Shinso as the other boy lay on the ground, his jump rope in a tangled pile beside him. He was gasping for breath, clearly at his limit. "But it gets easier. Not...not for a long time. But it does."

"Good to hear," Shinso gasped. "I think...I think my mistake there was trying to keep up with you. Did you know you're a monster? Seriously, you look like you've got some sort of muscle quirk. It's ridiculous."

Izuku blushed. "Um, well, I mean, anyone can get to this point. It just takes hard work."

"And my dear boys, I'm so glad to hear that you're willing to put forth the effort!" a cheery voice boomed.

Izuku jumped to attention and Shinso staggered upright. "All Might!"

"Yes, it's me!" All Might laughed, his grin sparkling under the bright lights in the gym as he strode in, cape swirling behind him. "But I also brought a friend! Kan's busy today, Aizawa's not recovered yet, and as for me, well, I'm afraid that teaching has made me so busy I barely have time to work as a hero!"

All Might threw his head back and laughed. Then he planted his fists on his hips leaning forward. "But you won't be without an instructor today! Togata! Come on out!"

"They do seem like they're working hard!"

Izuku and Shinso glanced around for the source of the voice, but saw nothing.

"Down here!"

Both of them blinked, then looked down. A smiling face was peaking out of the gym floor. Izuku let out a startled squawk and jumped back, while Shinso frowned. "What are you doing down there? And who are you?"

A naked boy a few years older than then suddenly popped up out of the ground. "I'm Mirio Togata! Third year student and-whoops! Be right back!"

Without warning, the boy fell through the floor. Izuku could only stare after him, wide eyed. "I didn't know he could do that…"

"Ha ha! Togata can do a lot of things!" All Might chuckled. "But, well, he does sometimes forget how to control that quirk of his when he gets excited."

The door to the gym opened to reveal Togata, now pulling on a shirt as he hopped into his shoes. "Sorry about that! I was just so excited to meet you both, I fell right out of my clothes! I guess you could say, we 'barely' got to know one another!"

Izuku looked back and forth between All Might and Togata, who were laughing together, his mouth opened slightly in confusion. Shinso, however, was groaning and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "It's too early for puns…"

"Well you know what they say," All Might chuckled, slapping Togata on the back. "There's nothing like a good pun!"

"And that one was nothin' like one!" Togata guffawed. He and All Might shared another laugh, and Izuku managed a nervous giggle. Shinso just looked bored.

"Right, well, I'm off then!" All Might declared. "You two are in capable hands! Togata, well, he's sort of my sidekick, you know."

"He's your sidekick?!" Izuku and Shinso asked together, shocked.

"But All Might, you never take sidekicks!" Izuku said, feeling totally bamboozled. "Not since Sir Nighteye!"

"What makes him so special?" Shinso asked, now seriously studying Togata. "Is his quirk super powerful?"

"Nope!" Togata said cheerily. He winked at All Might. "Well, it wasn't, until Mr. All Might showed me just how to up my game! Let me tell you, it was a 'hair raising' experience!"

All Might laughed again, this time wiping a tear from his eye. "That's what I love about you, Togata! You always bring a smile to my face!" Then, the great hero turned suddenly serious. "Listen, boys. Midoriya...well, you already know. Shinso. Prepare yourself."

"For what?" Shinso asked. Suddenly, All Might transformed, into the gangly, almost skeletal and sunken eyed man Izuku had seen once before. Shinso let out a cry of horror and shock, taking half a step back. "W-w-who are you? W-what did you do to All Might?"

All Might, or at least the shadow of All Might, spread his hands, his voice now rough and somber. "This is me, kid. I wanted to show you two something before I left. Izuku's already seen it, but I think he needs a reminder."

Togata nodded, growing grim himself. "Being a Hero...it's a hard job. I know that. I've seen...well, I'm not as experienced as All Might or Sir Nighteye, but I've seen some things that remind me why the world needs heroes."

"The truth is, I'm not going to be All Might for much longer," All Might said quietly. "I'm going to end up just being Mr. Yagi. And, well, that time isn't too far off."

Izuku felt tears trickle down his face, and he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. He'd seen All Might like this before, and frankly, he'd tried to forget about it. Even when he'd resented All Might for what he said, he had still thought of him as an invincible hero. One who was a little tone deaf and cruel, but still, a great hero.

"That's impossible," Shinso whispered. "You're All Might. You...you have to be...you can't just..."

"I have to retire, Shinso. I've been in this game for a long time. And...there were consequences." Once more, All Might lifted up his shirt, revealing the massive scar. "I told Izuku once he couldn't be a hero. It wasn't because I thought he wasn't a good person, or even because I didn't like him. It's because...well, I didn't want him to end up like this, or worse. And I honestly thought that without a quirk, that's exactly how he'd end up."

"Why...why are you telling us this?" Shinso asked, looking as sick as Izuku felt.

"Because that's where you come in." All Might walked over, kneeling and putting a hand on both boy's shoulders. "I might not be the Number 1 Hero for much longer. But...I'm here at UA to find my replacements." He glanced at Togata and smiled. "Togata's my greatest hope for the man who will take my place."

Togata nodded, tears in his own eyes. "I'll do my best, sir. I swear. You won't regret what you've given me."

"I know." All Might turned back to the two other boys. "But there needs to be others. I tried to be society's pillar. But I'm just flesh and blood. That pillar can and is crumbling. So I need to find more to take its place. To help Togata, and the other pro heros. And I think you two are going to be a part of that legacy. I can feel it. So I'm rooting for you. Make it into the Hero Course. And I'll do everything in my power to help. You know where my office is. If you have questions, if you just want to talk...come by sometime. I'll pass on what wisdom I can. And when I can't, Togata will be there to help fill in the gaps. He might only be a couple years older than you, but you could learn a lot from him. And I think you have something to teach him in return. So, I'm leaving you three together. There will be others, I hope, other bright heroes. And I-"

"Izuku!" the door banged open, and a grinning Mei strode in. "Hey, All Might! Izuku, are you a hero yet? Did All Might give you the Number 1 spot? This is earlier than I planned, but I think with a few upgrades-"

"What?!" All Might gasped, spinning around. "How, how did you-How did you know?'

Mei frowned at All Might. "Know what?"

"That...that I was All Might," the frail man stammered.

"You're wearing the same clothes. And you have the same eyes. And the hair's the same." Mei cocked her head to one side. "Are you not All Might? Sometimes people's faces confuse me."

"No, I am, I just...look, you can't tell anyone about this. Not yet," All Might said.

"Tell people what? That you're training Izuku?" Mei asked, confused. "But you're a teacher here. Shouldn't you be helping Izuku? Don't you want me to tell people you're doing your job?"

"Um, no. Nevermind. You can tell people that. Just not that I look...like this," All Might said. He glanced at the boys. "The same goes for you."

"I never told anyone," Izuku swore. "And I'll keep it that way."

"No one would believe me anyway," Shinso said, sounding and looking shaken to the core. "And..and I'm not sure I believe it. Or want to believe it."

"Believe it. Because I expect you to be the ones to take my place." All Might coughed and grimaced. "I do have to go. Togata, take care of them."

"Yes sir!" Togata vowed. Then he glanced at Mei. "Um, do you want to be a hero too?"

"Nope!" Mei said, smiling and shaking her head as All Might left the room. "I'm here to collect data!"

"Data?" Togata looked unsure. "We're not going to be doing math or anything. I'm going to teach these guys how to spar."

"Yes, that data. The fighting. I need to know what sort of gear Izuku needs! And to do that, I have to observe him in the field!" Mei said, grinning widely. "He's not very good about being honest about how amazing he is. He needs to be more like me that way."

"Ah! Well, um, the more the merrier!" Togata said, smiling. "And feel free to join in! I saw your fight with Bakugo. You could use some tips on fighting yourself!"

"I already got the best one. Don't get in anymore fights, and if I do, call Izuku," Mei said seriously. "He's a lot better at them."

Togata threw his head back and laughed. "That's great! I think we'll get along fine! Hatsume, right? Well, alright. Time to get started, you two! Now, the basics of fighting. You've learned how to get hit, how to not get hit, and how to get back up. Well, now it's time to learn the most important part! How to hit the other guy before he hits you!"

As it turned out, Togata was just as brutal a trainer as Kan ever was, though he did it with a much more upbeat attitude. He was absolutely merciless when it came to striking at Izuku and Shinso whenever he thought they weren't hitting hard enough, and he was certainly not shy about demonstrating his power with his punches and kicks, either.

"Damn, you're nearly as bad as Midoriya," Shinso complained, rubbing a fresh bruise on his arm where he'd tried to block one of Togata's blows. "You both must have some sort of strength enhancing quirk!"

"I'm not even using it right now!" Togata laughed. "You just need to learn how to take a punch!"

"I thought you had a phasing quirk?" Izuku asked, feeling confused.

"Well, let's see if I can phase through your punch! Come on Midoriya, like you mean it! Pretend I just said Mei was ugly!"

That made Izuku angry enough that he really did put all the force he could into his punch, though Togata did just go intangible so that Izuku stumbled through him.

"Well, you meant that one! But don't tuck your thumb in! And don't swing your elbow so wildly! You waste the force of the blow!" Togata counseled. Then he looked down. "Whoops! Sorry, Hatsume!"

"I really should make you some underwear," Mei commented. "And don't worry, I know you were just pretending. I don't think I'm that pretty anway."

"But you are!" Izuku protested.

Mei grinned. "See, you really are my boyfriend! That's the sort of thing a boyfriend is supposed to say!"

"Am I seriously the only sane one here?" Shinso complained.

"Probably! Don't worry, we'll fix that before long. It's much more fun being insane!" Togata laughed, hurriedly putting his pants back on.

Just then the bell rang. "Whoops! Ran out of time. Well, Mr. Kan will be with you guys the rest of the week. I'll just be seeing you on Thursdays, or whenever else they need me to fill in. Better hurry to class! And work on those punches!" Togata hobbled off, still trying to get his pants on.

"Dammit, we don't even have time to shower!" Shinso groaned.

"Oh well, I guess we'll shower later," Mei said.

Shinso looked at her with a horrified expression. Mei frowned. "I remember to use the girls' showers. Usually."

"I remind her when she forgets," Izuku assured Shinso. "Usually she does remember though."

"Only sane man," Shinso sighed. "Oh well. Guess my classmates will have something new to complain about."

"Just ignore it," Mei said. "And find someone like Izuku in your class who likes you even when you do forget to shower!"

"I'll try," Shinso said dryly. "But I'm afraid I'm more into girls."

"Just find one with no nose! Then you'll be fine. Come on Izuku! I don't care if you smell. I kind of like it, it reminds me of when we're making our babies! Oh, let's hurry to class! I'll ask Mr. Maijima if we can spend homeroom working on the Power Suit. I've got a big list of upgrades I want to try!"

"I think he'll let us, he said he missed you," Izuku said, picking up his backpack and hurrying out the door with Mei.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he said it was too quiet. No one's exploded anything all week."

"Ha! That is funny, because I do explode things! Come on, maybe we can find a missile for you to explode too!"

Shinso watched the pair go, shaking his head in bafflement. "And people think I'm strange. Those two don't even have their quirks as an excuse."

Life soon settled into a steady rhythm once again. It was hard on Izuku, constantly training, but with Mei there most days to watch him, he tried his absolute hardest. Mr. Aizawa recovered, and began training Shinso in his capture weapon, while he taught Izuku how to identify and categorize quirks quickly.

"Your idea in the Sports Festival to have different systems to counter different quirks is a good one," he told Izuku and Mei. "But you won't always have the luxury of a dossier on your opponent's abilites. By all means, when you do have one, use it to the fullest. But know how to quickly identify what a quirk is, and what it does. There are subtle differences too. Just because someone's quirk shoots water doesn't mean you know what it does. Do they make the water? Do they collect moisture from the air? Use what's in their bodies? It's vital to know. Because that's how you can shut them down, and stop them."

"Right," Izuku said, nodding. "I've collected a lot of data on quirks over the years. I, um, well, I made notebooks, with pages on people's quirks and how they used them and stuff."

"That's an excellent habit," Mr. Aizawa told him. "Now, I'm going to show you some footage. Look at the person's quirk in the video, and tell me how you'd counter it, or stop them before they could use it. There isn't just one right answer, but some are better than others. Mei, you watch too. Think of devices that could better stop them."

"Got it! I'll find a super cute baby for each of them!" Mei vowed.

"Of course you will. Now, Shinso, for you, we'll work on the capture weapon again. Remember, different quirks call for different styles. I have a mutant quirk. What do you do?"

"Striking serpent style!" Shinso called, flicking out the capture weapon. He swore when it didn't quite land as he wanted.

Aizawa however, just nodded, then flicked his own capture weapon. "Good. But it's more like this."

And so it went. Izuku and Mei soon developed half a dozen new kinds of missiles. One delivered a net, made of various materials, to ensnare their foes. Another sprayed out a huge volume of foam that rapidly solidified, while others delivered an EMP charge to take out electronics, tear gas and pepper spray to debilitate opponents, and one that let out a piercing sonic shriek to deafen and confuse foes, especially those with quirks that enhanced their senses.

All that while the physical training continued. That was in addition to sessions on First Aid, rescue training, and quirk coaching. Interestingly, Izuku's "quirk" coaching came from Mr. Maijima, who helped him and Mei come up with practical improvements to the design of the Power Suit, as well as some of their other devices. Shinso on the other hand mostly worked with Mr. Aizawa, who's quirk was similar in that it had no direct combat capability, but could be used to tactically control the battlefield.

Somehow during all this, Izuku and Mei also found time to help their new friends as well with their gear. Ashido came by for help with her costume, as did several other members of the Hero Course. Mei was happy to make Ashido a tank that could store her acid, then put it in grenades for her to throw, or shoot it out in a powerful stream. Kaminari got his electrical capacitor, and other improvements were made for various students.

The most embarrassing thing they made though, was the underwear for Togata. It turned out that it had to incorporate fibers from his hair, which Izuku dutifully collected. Then he and Mei had to weave a special set of underwear, which Togata also requested be able to withstand high amounts of friction.

"I've torn my costume a few times and Mr. Maijima's been yelling at me that I'm too hard on it now," Togata explained, laughing as he rubbed the back of his head. "I think my new style's been putting too much strain on the fabric. Um, maybe if you made it able to take more rapid movement? You know, from rubbing together."

"High friction resistance? We did something like that for Sato and Iida in 1A," Izuku said. "Mei, do you think we can manage that with the hair fibers?"

"Of course! We'll need to weave it with a special synthetic I derived from nylon, but it will be super cute! Now, hold still so I can measure you," Mei said, advancing with outstretched hands and making Togata blush and cover himself.

"Um, maybe I should do this one Mei," Izuku said, blushing. "It, um, might bother Togata to have someone else's girlfriend touch him...there."

Through it all though, a niggling thought tickled in the back of Izuku's mind. All Might was retiring. His time as the Symbol of Peace, the pillar of Hero Society, was nearly at an end. Izuku did want to be a hero, he truly longed to save others as All Might did, to be someone that others could look to for inspiration. To say to the world: "You Too Can Be A Hero" whether they had a strong quirk or not.

But could Izuku live up to that legacy? There were new threats abroad in the world. The Hero Killer Stain stalked the streets, slaying seemingly at random. The League of Villains had attacked UA itself, and were still at large. To be a hero would be to defy that. Could Izuku and Mei do it? It was something they would have to find out, one way or another.


	17. The Slow Poison

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_17\. The Slow Poison_

_Once you eliminate the impossible, what remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth._

_-Sherlock Holmes_

The first Izuku had heard of the Hero Killer Stain had been nearly a year ago. The Stealth Hero Translucent had recently been embroiled in a scandal where he'd been accused of using his Quirk to rather perverted ends. He'd claimed he was innocent, and at first it looked like the whole thing would be swept under the rug. Until Translucent was found with his eyes carved out on the floor of a woman's bathroom, with a message scrawled in blood on the bathroom mirrors: **A stain on heroes.**

That message had resulted in the killer being known as Stain in the media, and a string of a dozen deaths and twice as many vicious assaults across Japan had followed. Sometimes the victims were heroes who were known to have some sort of character flaw, such as gambling or drunkenness, other times they were heroes that everyone had thought highly of. The attacks happened seemingly at random, with the only common thread being that they were always bloody, and always when the hero was in full costume, and on duty. No one was ever killed at home or while they were dressed as civilians, and nothing of value was ever taken.

The identity of Stain was a complete mystery. He was described as being tall, dressed in near rags, and having a horrifically scarred face. Despite this description, no one had ever managed to apprehend Stain. Even more oddly, on occasion, Stain would attack a Hero and incapacitate them, only to leave them alive, saying they understood what it meant to be a Hero. There were whispers that Stain was a revolutionary or a Hero himself, only attacking those who had betrayed the ideals of what it meant to be a hero.

Still, to Izuku the most disturbing thing about Stain had happened when he'd attacked his classmate Iida's brother, Ingenium, crippling the formerly popular and effective Hero. Izuku was a bit worried about the other boy, but he didn't know Iida very well and he was busy enough with his own concerns that he never had time to speak to Iida.

All that came to a head only a few weeks before the end of term, when to Izuku's and the nation's shock, Stain was finally captured, and changed the face of Japan for years to come. Izuku first saw it on his phone's newsfeed when he woke up, with Stain's face plastered on the headline alongside none other than Mirio Togata's winning smile.

**HERO KILLER CAPTURED! HERO LEMILLION STOPS STAIN, SAVES LIVES OF CLASSMATE, NATIVE**

_By __Iero Janarisuto_

_Hosu city was a battleground last night, with another attack by the Hero Killer, Stain. Stain sought to claim his 41st victim, the Shaman Hero, Native. Young Tenya Iida, brother of the famous and tragic Tensei Iida, better known as Ingenium, attempted to intervene, but was also wounded and nearly killed by Stain. The horrific serial killer nearly claimed his latest victims, if not for the timely intervention of Mirio Togata, the Hero Lemillion. In a shocking display of speed and skill, Lemillion not only saved the lives of both Iida and Native, removing them to safety, but also soundly defeated __Stain after_ _a brief battle. _

_It may come as a surprise to some to learn that Lemillion is actually a third year student at UA Highschool, along with Tenya Iida, who is a first year. To those that saw Lemillion's awe inspiring performance this year at the UA Sports Festival, they will know that Lemillion is perhaps the greatest up and coming hero in the entire country (See link: Togata Crushes 3rd Year Field at UA)._

_Lemillion has also distinguished himself working alongside a number of veteran pro heroes, including Sir __Nighteye_ _and his current mentor, Gran Torino. Most famously, Lemillion is All Might's teaching assistant at UA highschool. Last night, he was working alongside Gran Torino against the attack of strange creatures known as Nomu, who are also associated with the League of Villains (See link, Stain and the League of Villains: Masters in Crime). _

"_I was hurrying to help evacuate some civilians, when I saw Iida in the alleyway. I knew right away something was wrong, and that I had to help!" Lemillion said in a statement to the press. "It's what any hero would have done, especially when I saw the Hero Killer was there. Iida's a good kid, and there was no way I could let him or Native down!"_

_Lemillion only laughed when asked about the fight, but Iida had this to say, "It was incredible. He popped out of the wall and grabbed me just as Stain was about to strike! The next thing I knew, he'd taken me to safety. I couldn't see much, I was still paralysed, but I saw him fight Stain. He couldn't land a blow on Lemillion, it was incredible! He moved faster than anyone I've seen except perhaps All Might, and took out Stain with a single exchange of blows once he'd rescued Native as well! Truly, Lemillion is an example to all of us at UA and a shining example of the quality of its students."_

_Native was too injured to comment, but All Might himself arrived on the scene not long after. _

"_Lemillion is a part of a new generation of heroes. I won't be around forever: that's why I'm teaching at UA this year. It is my hope that Lemillion and his classmates will be the ones to carry forward the next generation of heroes!" _

_With the defeat and capture of the nation's most wanted criminal, all this reporter can say is that Lemillion appears to be off to a great start._

"He beat Stain?!" Izuku gasped. He hurried through his exercise routine, then dashed off to school, barely pausing to bring two bean buns for his and Mei's breakfast. She was already at the workshop when Izuku ran up, working on a voice modulator for Shinso to aid in the use of his quirk.

"Mei, did you hear? Togata defeated Stain the Hero Killer!" Izuku said, setting a bean bun down in front of her and biting into his own.

Mei looked up, frowning slightly. "Did he use my underwear?"

Izuku thought about it, chewing on his own bean bun. "Well, the article didn't mention him losing his clothes, so probably?"

"Ha! Once again our babies prove how super cute they are!" Mei cheered. "I think his suit needs some modifications though. His quirk seems to have changed since Mr. Maijima first had the Support Course make the rest of his costume."

"Really?" Izuku asked. "I know he has Permutation, his phasing quirk. What else does it do?"

"Well, according to Mr. Maijima's notes, that's all it should do, but it does something else. The tears on his suit are similar to what happens to Iida or Sato when they activate their quirks, which are super speed and super strength. I didn't refit theirs because it was simple, but I did give the fabric recipe to Mr. Maijima and he had someone else do it."

"That's good. Don't forget to eat your bun. I've got to go meet Shinso for morning training at Ground Beta. Togata told me to bring the Power Suit today, but I'll take good care of it. See you in class!" Izuku gave Mei a quick hug, and she started to munch on her bean bun, sketching out ideas for Togata's new costume design.

"You hear about Stain and Togata?" Shinso asked when he met Izuku outside of the urban training site. "Crazy to think he's only a couple of years ahead of us."

"Yeah, I think we've got a lot to aim for," Izuku agreed. "Stain was probably one of the biggest threats to society. With him captured, we can rest easier now."

"Don't be so sure," Shinso said, shaking his head. "A lot of people look up to him. Some of the things he said after he was captured, well, he's going to become a martyr if this isn't handled right."

Izuku frowned. "You think so? I haven't read much about that."

"I...browse certain message boards, sometimes," Shinso admitted. "I don't as much anymore, but, well, I was pretty angry for a few years because people never respected my quirk. I thought society was flawed, and there's a lot of people online who agree. Stain came up a lot in those conversations. Some people thought he had the right idea. Taking out Heros who were abusing their position, or were only concerned with money or glory."

"That's scary," Izuku said with a shudder. "I just thought of him as a villain."

"You could say he was a 'Stain' on society himself!" Togata said, popping right up out of the ground.

Izuku smiled nervously at the pun, while Shinso just rolled his eyes. Neither of them were surprised by the entrance, as that was Togata's typical way of arriving.

"Didn't think we'd see you today," Shinso said. "I was sort of looking forward to not having to put up with the puns."

"Can you tell us anything about the fight?!" Izuku asked eagerly. "What sort of Quirk did Stain have? How'd you neutralize it?"

"It was some sort of Blood related quirk. Iida and Native said they were paralysed after Stain cut them," Togata explained. "I countered it by not getting cut! His swords didn't 'phase' me!"

"You don't say," Shinso said dryly. "Well, set up the scenario for us. How did you manage to rescue the two hostages?"

"I used my super strength and speed to grab them and dash away!" Togata said, flexing and striking a pose. "I made sure to smile the entire time, and told Stain he was a 'cut' above the rest!"

"Of course you did," Shinso sighed.

"Wait, your quirk gives you super strength and speed?" Izuku asked. "I thought it was phasing."

"Um, yes it is!" Togata hastily agreed. "But I'm such a 'dashing' fellow that I move faster than you would believe!"

"I've seen you move," Shinso said, eyeing Togata. "You definitely move faster than a normal human, and you're stronger than one too."

"Can you somehow use your phasing to make yourself lighter or objects easier to move?" Izuku asked eagerly.

"Sure, let's go with that!" Togata eagerly agreed. "But enough talking! Today, we're going to practice a hostage rescue scenario! I'll be the bad guy, and you have to rescue this!"

Togata held out a small fluffy stuffed dog. "All you have to do is get this from me, without me being able to stop you! I'll be hiding with this somewhere, and you two have come and get it, then bring it outside of Ground Beta. Ready?"

"We got it," Shinso acknowledged. "Get the dog out of the training area. Any other rules?"

"Nope! Izuku, you can use your Power Suit, and any other gear you've got. Shinso, you can use your quirk. Here I go!" With that, Togata slipped through the floor, vanishing immediately.

Izuku looked around the training room, which was full of different obstacles. Togata would probably hide with the stuffed dog. He wondered if he could put any special gear into the Power Suit that would help in looking for someone, like heat sensing equipment.

"Better get loaded up," Shinso warned. "He's not going to go easy on us."

"Right." Izuku scrambled into the Power Suit, turning it on and ready all the systems. "Any ideas for tracking him down?"

"We'll split up. Shout if you get eyes on him. I'll try to get Togata to answer me, but he knows better than that."

"We really should have some small radios to communicate with one another," Izuku muttered. "I'll have to add it to the list."

Not bothering with stealth, Izuku launched himself into the air, leaping up atop a climbing wall to survey the area. There were dozens of places for Togata to hide in Ground Beta, and the first task was finding him. Izuku rapidly searched a dozen houses, but didn't find anything. He shot up into the air again, then spotted Shinso, waving up at him. Izuku landed, kicking up a swirl of dust around himself. "Did you find him?"

"Think so," Shinso said, pointing to a building with a large banner out in front of it. It read "No Hostages Here" in bright red kanji.

"Oh. Um, you think he's actually in there?" Izuku asked.

Shinso shrugged. "We could spend an hour looking for him and it would be time for class. I think this is his idea of taking things easy on us. Any ideas on how we get inside?"

"Well, we can't just blow our way in. We don't want to hurt the hostage," Izuku mused. "So I can't just use some HE missiles to break open a wall."

"Also, the teachers probably wouldn't be thrilled if we started exploding the training ground," Shinso observed. "Ok. So, you go in first?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I'll try to get him talking. You think you could mimic how I sound?"

"'Oh Mei, you're so pretty and smart! I hope we can make babies together forever, except I don't mean inventions," Shinso said in a high pitched voice.

"I-I-I don't sound like that!" Izuku protested. Then he paused, reconsidering. "Um, do I?"

"Your voice doesn't always sound like a little girl's," Shinso agreed.

"Oh good," Izuku said, relieved. He blinked. "H-hey! That's not nice!"

"We can argue about my ability to impersonate you, or we can go try to rescue Snuffles the Wonder Dog. Which would you rather do?" Shinso asked.

Izuku sighed. "I'll go in first. I'll open up with a foam missile. If all else fails, I can try a sonic missile and flashbang to disorient him while you steal the dog."

"Got it," Shinso agreed. "Right after you."

Izuku dashed up to the building, twisting the Power Suit so its shoulder impacted with the door, which flew open. "Um, stop, evildoer!" he cried.

"Mwahahahahaah! Foolish hero! You cannot hope to stop my scheme!" a voice responded from a distant room.

"I know you're in here somewhere!" Izuku called, looking around. He moved into the building, but was forced to bend nearly double. He also found that to get through doorways, he had to kick the wall open a bit, as the power suit couldn't fit. "Give up now and I'll ugh, go easy on you!"

"It is you who should give up!" Togata said from behind Izuku.

Spinning wildly, Izuku just caught sight of Togata vanishing into the floor. "Where's the hostage?" he called, but his only answer was a sharp blow from behind.

"Ergh!" Izuku spun again, striking at Togata, but pulling his punch so that he wouldn't injure the older boy. To his shock, Togata easily caught Izuku's punch in his hand, despite the enhancing augments of the Power Suit.

"Not good enough!" Togata snarled. He punched with his free hand, sending Izuku flying into the far wall.

Damage lights flashed and an alarm began to sound, notifying Izuku that light damage had been suffered to several systems. With a groan, Izuku hauled himself up. He was surprised to see Togata standing there, beckoning Izuku forward.

"If that's how it's going to be, I'll have to give this more power!" Izuku roared, rushing forward and completely forgetting his missiles.

Togata grinned, a wicked gleam entering his eye as Izuku bull rushed him. Togata braced himself, catching the Power Suit with both hands, and wrestling with Izuku. Despite amplifying his strength twenty fold, Izuku found he was somehow physically no match for Togata.

"What kind...of quirk...do you...have?" Izuku gasped, still trying to get Togata to talk.

Togata just grunted, then suddenly pivoted and went permeable, causing Izuku to fly forward through the wall. He shook himself off and stood, and found himself staring at Shinso. The other boy was slinking forward on tiptoes, with the stuffed dog in his hands, his eyes wide. Izuku realized Shinso must have come in another way and found the toy, and immediately spun, charging back towards Togata.

"That was pretty good, but I've only begun to use a fraction of my power! Power Suit, manual Override! Smash mode, activate!"

The suit binged, and a new warning indicator began to flash, indicating that the suit's limiters had been deactivated, and that it would now strike with enough force to pulverize a normal human.

"Now that sounds fun!" Togata laughed. "But don't think I didn't see that!"

Instead of catching Izuku's charge, Togata passed right through him, causing Izuku to barrel into another wall, lodging himself in the frame. Behind him, Izuku heard Shinso cry out, then say, "How did you know?"

Togata didn't respond though, and by the time Izuku got back up, he saw Togata running out of the back door.

"We have to stop him!" Shinso called. "He's getting away!"

"On it! Climb on!" Izuku ordered. Shinso jumped onto Izuku as he ran by, and they gave chase after Togata. Once they were outside though, Togata turned, dropping the dog. Once more, he made a "bring it on" gesture at Izuku.

"Think you can take both of us at once?!" Shinso demanded in a not bad impression of Izuku's voice. Togata said nothing though, and Izuku launched a foam capture missile at him.

Toegta sprang forward, moving so fast he was hard to see. He grabbed the missile right out of the air by the sides, then spun around, hurling it back at Izuku and Shinso.

"Oh no!" Izuku wailed. He tried to dive out of the way, but the missile exploded, coating both he and Shinso in foam. It rapidly solidified, to the point where the Power Suit became gummed up, unable to do much more than wiggle.

"POWER!" Togata roared, striking a pose with both his arms extended out of his body, palms up. It was his traditional victory pose, and Izuku let out a sigh.

"I'm stuck, you Shinso?"

"MMMMPH!" Shinso grunted. Apparently, the foam had gotten into his mouth. It was breathable so that no one would suffocate while they were trapped in it, but it tasted awful as Izuku knew from experience.

"We give up," Izuku called. "Help us get out!"

"Right!" Togata agreed. He jogged over, jumping up on top of the large pile of foam. "Um, how do I do that, Midoriya?"

"Well, I have a spray in my suit that will remove the foam, but um, it's mechanism is gummed up and it won't open. I, um, I think you'll have to get Mei to get us out."

Togata winced. "Oh. Um, that might be a problem." Just then, the first bell rang.

"Mmmmmppphhhh," Shinso sighed.

"Oh no," Izuku moaned.

That day, they were an hour late, as Togata had to go get Mei, help her dig out the spray from where it was buried in the workshop - Izuku would have known just where to find it, but Mei had a hard time remembering where things were put away - and then they had to wait a few minutes for the foam to dissolve. Thankfully, Izuku mostly missed the first period and their workshop time with Mr. Maijima.

"You two spend enough time with me that I won't count it against you," Majima said with a shrug when Izuku stammered out an apology. "Just don't make a habit of it."

Shinso, however, got into a bit of trouble, though he didn't earn much more than a slap on the wrist from his homeroom teacher.

"I'll have to write an apology note and I promised not to be late again," Shinso told Izuku and Mei. He'd taken to eating with them in the workshop, as he too had struggled to make friends prior to the Sports Festival.

"Well that shouldn't be too hard, at least for the rest of the trimester," Izuku said, wiping down the Power Suit with a rag. They were still defoaming, after which they would have to grease everything to keep the mechanisms from gumming up. "Exams are next week."

"Well I hope you don't abuse our baby too much more!" Mei said around a mouthful of food.

Shinso didn't seem too bothered by Mei's manners, having become rather used to them. "Just think of it as data collection. After all, if Midoriya does become a pro hero your 'babies' will get beat up all the time."

"I suppose that's the price of getting used," Mei said with a sigh, then took a long swig of her energy drink and let out a belch. "You should have told me you were going to be doing missile testing! I would have come to watch."

"Sorry, I didn't realize," Izuku said, smiling at Mei. "You would have been proud! I activated full Smash Mode! Unfortunately, it didn't seem to phase Togata."

"Something's up with him," Shinso said with a frown at the accidental pun. "How can someone have two quirks? He's got Permutation, but now he has super strength and speed? I saw you plow into him. That would have knocked down a brick wall. He should have been flattened, but he just caught you."

"That's impossible," Izuku said with a shake of his head, finally sitting down to eat the bento his mom had packed for him. "You can't have more than one quirk."

"Why?" Mei asked.

"Well, that's not how it works. Everyone gets one quirk, and only one quirk," Shinso argued. He suddenly winced. "Um, sorry, Midoriya."

"No, it's ok," Izuku said amiably. He popped a ball of rice wrapped in nori into his mouth and chewed, thinking.

"What if he got another one?" Mei asked.

Shinso and Izuku turned to her, puzzled. "Huh?"

"You know, like the nomu, from last night and the USJ attack. I talked with Ashido, she said the nomu had shock absorption, but also regeneration. And the nomu that helped that bad guy last night had all kinds of quirks too. So they had to get multiple quirks from somewhere. What if Togata got an extra quirk, too?"

"That's ridiculous," Shinso scoffed. "You can't give someone a quirk."

"Yeah, All Might said he'd have given me a quirk if he could, once," Izuku said, thinking back to the first day of school.

"What if he gave his to Togata?" Mei asked. "All Might's quirk is super strength and stuff. Togata just got those, and All Might says he's retiring. So maybe he just gave his to Togata."

"That's impossible! You can't pass on quirks!" Shinso said, sounding increasingly frustrated.

"Yeah. That's...huh." Izuku frowned, looking down at his last rice ball. "All Might did say that he thought of Togata as his successor, that he was passing on his mantle to the next generation. What if he meant that literally?"

"I bet I could figure out a way to pass on quirks!" Mei said excitedly. "They're contained in DNA! They manifest in the QR.16 gene. If you could alter that gene, I bet you could get someone to manifest a new quirk!"

That made Shinso blink. "Mei, you think...you think you could just GIVE someone a new quirk?"

"Well, not right now. I'm not really an expert on biology," Mei said with a wave of her hand. "But if I built a machine that could isolate the QR.16 gene and then studied different quirks, I might be able to make one manifest itself."

Izuku felt his heart skip a beat. "Mei...do you think...could you give me a quirk?"

Mei looked at Izuku, frowning. "Well, maybe. But why would you want one?"

"I...I've always dreamed about...about having my own quirk," Izuku said quietly. "Maybe...maybe not even a powerful one, just...just something that was...that was my own."

"Don't be silly!" Mei laughed. "You have me and our babies! That's better than any quirk!"

"Y-y-yeah," Izuku stammered, and quickly grabbed his protein shake, quickly chugging it. He saw Shinso looking at him out of the corner of his eye though, and it made Izuku wonder. What would he do to have a quirk of his own?


	18. Who's on First?

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_18: Who's On First_

_Sometimes two people find each other with broken foundations, and they build something together as a team to make a foundation that is indestructible. _

_-Swapna Rajput_

"Right. That's enough for today," Aizawa said, wrapping his capture weapon back over his body.

Groaning, Izuku forced himself from his back into a sitting position from the dusty blue mats on the floor of Gym Gamma. Shinso just sank down into a squat, breathing hard. Both boys were battered and bruised after over an hour of hard full contact sparring with each other and Mr. Aizawa. They'd finally graduated from learning how to take a punch to learning how to both give and receive, though it was a painful process.

"Aww, you didn't even let Izuku use any of our babies," Mei complained.

Aizawa glanced at Mei, frowning slightly. He typically gave the impression that he was faintly irritated with Mei, though Izuku had noted he always asked where she was whenever she didn't attend. "Anyway, I'm giving you next week off. With final exams, I want you focused on your studies."

"Thank God," Shinso groaned. "I feel like I haven't studied at all."

"Well, you have Sunday to remedy that. And I'll say this: if you fail, I'm not going to allow you to attend the summer training camp."

"Summer training camp?" Izuku asked, suddenly perking up.

"The Hero course classes are going to be attending a special week long training camp in the forest. I'm considering allowing the three of you to attend," Aizawa stated.

Mei looked up. "You mean, I get to come too? But I'm not training to be a hero."

"You're essential to Izuku's training, considering you've basically substituted for a quirk in his case," Aizawa said with a shrug. "When the others are undergoing quirk training, I expect the two of you to be stress testing the equipment in the field. If you're not there to help with repairs and modifications, there's no real point to Izuku coming. So, you both have to pass your exams."

"Even English?" Mei prodded.

Aizawa just stared back with his blood shot eyes, and Mei let out a long sigh. "Fine, I'll actually study this time. I did last year with Izuku anyway so I remember how."

"Of course you never had to study before," Shinso grumbled. "I suppose you're just naturally talented at everything."

"Nope! I'm really bad at English and I'm not very good at fighting. Do you remember when Bakugo beat me up? That was really painful!" Mei said cheerily.

Shinso blinked. "I suppose that's what I get for complaining. What about me, sir?"

"You've got plenty of ways you can work to improve your quirk. The number of ways you can control people. Disguising your voice with that voice modulator Mei's making, and so on."

"Will there be a workshop for us?" Izuku asked curiously.

Aizawa nodded. "We're bringing in things special for you. Give a list of what you think you'll need to Maijima and he'll make sure it's there. Oh, and bring things to help the other first years with their own quirks. It's a good opportunity to work with them to create helpful gear."

"You really seem to be going out of your way for us," Izuku said nervously. "I don't want to inconvenience you."

"Not at all. There's some things going on in the background. You know about Stain and the League of Villains?" Aizawa asked.

Shinso blanched. "Yeah. The message boards have discussed it endlessly. Rumor has it the League is recruiting, and they've found some really nasty characters to join up with them who support Stain's ideology. Rumor has it they have both Muscular and Moon Fish now."

"Really?" Aizawa said, sounding interested. "That's something I haven't heard. Come by my office later. I'd like to talk to you about where you're getting this information, Shinso. It would be good to have."

"It's just a bunch of people I know online from when I used to frequent some shady places. I still communicate with them," Shinso admitted, looking rather guilty.

"Sounds like you've managed to cultivate your own little information network. That's valuable to any hero. Like I said, come talk to me after school. For now, the two of you go get healed up with Recovery Girl before class today," Aizawa ordered. "I've got exams to write."

"Hey Shinso, want to study with us?" Mei asked as they left Gym Gamma.

Shinso glanced at Mei, eyebrows raised. "Wouldn't you rather spend that time alone with your boyfriend? I'm not going to hang out with you two if the study sessions are going to turn into make out sessions."

"What's the point if you're not trying to make out what the math answers are? Do you already know them?" Mei asked, slightly confused.

"That's not...sure. I'll study with you. Beats doing it on my own, I suppose," Shinso said with a sigh. "As long as you don't mind, Midoriya. I suppose you don't know what a make out session is either?"

"Um, not exactly. Mei and I...we uh, well, Mr. Aizawa said nothing past first base and we've sort of been sticking to that," Izuku mumbled.

"We don't like baseball anyway. Mr. Kan got really upset when I tried to give the baseball team a rocket bat so we don't try to play it anymore," Mei told Shinso.

"You know, the funny thing is, that's really not the most complete non sequitur you've told me this week," Shinso remarked. "When and where are we having this little session?"

"Um, we could meet at my place," Izuku offered. "My mom always makes snacks and stuff and she said she'd like to meet you after seeing us work together at the sports festival. Maybe tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sounds good," Shinso agreed. "My grades aren't too bad but I really don't want to miss out on this summer camp deal. It's our chance to really integrate with the Hero Course and prove ourselves to them personally."

The study sessions went well. Mei as usual found them boring, but Shinso was a hard worker who kept his focus. It was also fun, just hanging out with friends. After they were done, they watched another terrible movie, this time a Japanese Dub of _Batman and Robin_ from back in the 20th century. At first Shinso looked irritated at Mei and Izuku's running commentary, but once he realized the movie was a complete disaster he joined in with gusto.

Shinso nodded at the screen and grinned wickedly at Izuku. "Mei, do you think you could make a hero costume like Batman's for Izuku?"

"Probably," Mei said with a shrug. "It doesn't look that complicated."

"Make sure his has nipples on it," Shinso said, putting his hands over his own chest. "It really ties the piece together."

"Sure, as long I can make your costume look like Poison Ivy's," Izuku shot back. "You'd look great with eyebrow extensions and blue eyeliner."

Shinso gave Izuku a murderous glare, then burst out laughing, and everyone joined in.

"A Bat Credit Card? Seriously? His power isn't being rich!" Izuku complained later.

"I think it is!" Mei laughed. "I did the numbers on all the stuff he's got, and even considering today's technology his own jet and custom car would be billions of yen! He's not even a good detective in this movie, he's just some rich idiot!"

The next day exams began, and at first Izuku was nervous as always, fretting over each answer and biting at his nails and pencil. But then he'd hear Mei humming away in the background, and glance over to see her working away, relaxed and confident as always. It calmed his nerves somewhat, and despite how busy he'd been, Izuku felt fairly confident in the answers he put down.

Like Mei, Shinso didn't seem nervous at all in their lunch and after school cram sessions, spending a good bit of his time sniping at Mei and Izuku both.

"Seriously, Izuku. You write with these?" Shinso asked, holding up a gnawed pencil with thumb and forefinger. "It looks like a rat got at it. You just like the taste of them or what?"

"N-nervous habit," Izuku admitted, feeling embarrassed.

"And Mei, do you have to keep humming? Some of us are trying to think," Shinso complained.

"I know. That's why I do it," Mei replied, and kept right on humming.

Shinso tried to look irritated, but Izuku saw the smile tugging at the other boy's mouth. He was starting to realize that sarcasm and pithy remarks were how Shinso expressed affection. Shinso also left a box of gum for Izuku with a note that read, "Always helps me." It made Izuku smile, and Mr. Maijima turned out not to care if Izuku chewed gum as long as he properly disposed of it.

The most important exam though wasn't the pen and paper one, but the evaluation Mr. Maijima gave of the items created over the course of the semester. Izuku saw for the first time the gear that his classmates had been working on, and was shocked at how basic it seemed to him. They had sewn costumes for the Hero Course students and modified them, or made small devices like basic radios or other gear. Mr. Maijima praised some of it and gave pointers to all of them, ranking the students by their contributions to the class. Then, he called Izuku and Mei up to the front.

"Now, you all remember at the start of the semester when I told you all to come to these two for help? Well, I've noticed most of you haven't been doing that. So, now you're all about to see just what they've made."

"That's so not fair!" Kata complained. "They're both super geniuses! Midoriya even won the sports festival with that robot. They had to have someone help them, how could two kids even make something like that?"

"It's not a robot!" Mei snapped. "The Power Suit is an exoskeletal strength and agility enhancing platform with built in modular systems!"

"And we did build it!" Izuku said, feeling somewhat offended that anyone would imagine that Mei would lie about something like this. "Look, see, we took off the front panel here. Now, the power source is a modified new line Mitsubishi double reaction plant that produces…"

Izuku walked the class through the electrical systems and wiring of the Power Suit, from the main engine that used both a battery back up and a double reaction plant, to the separate power banks that each modular hook up in the suit used. He also described how the electrical systems were integrated into the control scheme, and the neural interface along with vocal commands that could activate the systems. "It took a long time to work the bugs out. We're still chasing a few, sometimes if I have a stuffy nose or pitch my voice wrong it takes the system too long to respond and we still get a cascading error if you string more than three commands in a row that results in it skipping every other command. Um, that's about it from my end. Any questions?"

Izuku finally looked up from the Power Suit, and saw the class staring at him with open mouthed shock. Kata's eye stalks had retreated most of the way into his head. Mr. Maiijima developed a sudden coughing fit, turning his face away. Izuku caught a gleam of humor in his eyes though.

"Right! Now I'll explain the hydraulics, servos, and motorized assists! You see, the suit amplifies the user's motions, using the sensors along with a haptic feedback mechanism. The tricky part is not over-applifying the users motions in a way that could cause harm. Izuku has a lot of bruises and sprains from that! Now, the hydraulics here are made out of a special alloy we created, using a mixture of…"

Mei went on well past the end of school bell, but none of the others left. Mei even called them up to examine different subsystems and help her open various panels to examine the guts. By the time they were finished, even Kata was suitably impressed. "And...and you made this all on your own?" he kept asking.

Mei never got annoyed with the question, but always answered, "No, Izuku helped me! He made this part in the machine shop, and this one he modified slightly to allow the wiring to house better, and here he-"

A part of Izuku was shocked to realize just how much he had contributed to the Power Suit. As Mei repeatedly stated, "I could build some super cute babies on my own! But to build the most amazingly cute ones like this I need Izuku's help! It's always best to have a partner! Even if yours won't be as good as mine because I already took Izuku."

When Mei finally wound down, Mr. Maijima had the others return to their seats. "Now, I want you all to understand, what Mei and Izuku have built is so far above what I would normally expect from students that I won't hold you to that standard. At least, not this semester. But now, you've seen what's possible. Next time around, I expect to see something truly incredible from you all. And remember: even if Izuku and Mei are the weirdest of this odd bunch, you can learn something from them. Dismissed, final grades will be posted tomorrow."

For once, Mr. Maijima kicked Mei and Izuku out immediately, stating that he needed to finish grading the projects and didn't want them banging around. They left with the others, but instead of ignoring Izuku and Mei as usual, their classmates crowded around and asked questions about how they could improve their own designs.

"Well, um, your radio set wasn't bad, but I noticed the batteries you were using were a bit underpowered. Maybe if you tried-"

"Look, you can't just make something normal! It has to be super cute! So when you make the costume, remember that baby is for that person! Look up their quirk, but don't just think about how they use it now! Think about what you could make their quirk do if you made something especially awesome for them!"

They chatted with their classmates for several minutes, until everyone had to leave for dinner or other events. Izuku and Mei headed back to her house, as Mei was determined they spend at least a little time working on one of their projects.

"I have a surprise for you!" Mei said as they entered into her workshop. "Ta-da! Behold, Super Cute Baby number 189! I call it Rice CRISPR!"

She pointed to a large boxy device with several trays and holes in it. Several of the holes had glass tubes filled with clear fluid in them. Izuku walked over, and on the screen he saw a series of letters and numbers. Most of the letters were seemingly random patterns of A, T, C, or G, and after a long moment, it clicked.

"It's a DNA sequencer!" Izuku gasped. He turned to Mei, stunned. "You built an entire gene sequencer on your own?"

"Well I had to read a few things online and study a few articles, but once I figured out the basic process it only took me a few days to find some old medical testing junk and modify it! Daddy drove me out to the dump and we spent two hours finding some for me to cannibalize! I did it on Sunday before our study session."

"Mei, what is this for?" Izuku asked, baffled.

"To figure out what Togata's quirks are, obviously! Now, I need some of your DNA," Mei said, grabbing Izuku. She pressed her face close to his, her breath on Izuku's mouth.

Somehow, Izuku responded without thinking. He opened his mouth slightly, and pressed his lips to Mei, drawing her close. She instantly molded herself to him, wrapping her body about his. Her goggles dug into Izuku's forehead, but he hardly noticed. They were about the same height, so Izuku didn't have to bend down or up at all. After a long moment, Izuku had to pull back, gasping for breath.

Mei was panting as well, her face suddenly flushed. "I-Iazuku."

"S-sorry," Izuku muttered, trying to take a step back. But Mei was clinging to him tightly. "I...I didn't mean to-"

"Me neither," Mei admitted. "That wasn't what I meant though. I didn't need your DNA in me. I meant this." Mei held up a cotton swab, and Izuku realized she had meant to use it to scrap the inside of his mouth.

"O-oh, oh God! Mei, I'm so sorry!" Izuku stammered, again trying to separate himself, but Mei clung even tighter.

"No, that was nice. We should do it again," Mei said. And immediately locked her lips onto Izuku's again. This time, Izuku fell onto the floor, knocked off balance by the sudden onslaught. Thankfully he fell into a pile of Mei's laundry, which meant he was only slightly stunned. Mei just pressed herself onto him harder, continuing this kiss far longer. More than a little DNA was passed between them, until Mei suddenly drew back.

Before Izuku knew what was happening, she'd poked the cotton swab into his still open mouth and gave it a thorough swirl. Then she stood up, took out a fluid filled vial, and dropped the cotton swab into it before inserting the whole thing into one of the holes in her homemade gene sequencer.

"There!" Mei said happily. "Now I have a control group!"

"W-what?" Izuku stammered, his mind still reeling. He let out a gasp of air when Mei jumped on top of him.

"You don't have a quirk! So I can use this to isolate the QR.16 gene!" Mei explained as she tossed her goggles aside and lay down on Izuku's chest. "It's going to take a few weeks I think. I already have mine, daddy's, mommy's, the brats, and Hari's in here. Also Togata's and Shinso's, I grabbed some of their hair."

"Oh," Izuku said, slowly folding his arms about Mei. "Um, sorry about that. I, er, didn't mean to steal your first kiss."

"I don't think you can steal my first kiss, I kissed mom and dad a lot when I was little," Mei said, grinning as she looked down at Izuku. "But it was nice. Can we do it again?"

"Yes," Izuku whispered. And moved his head up to meet Mei's again.

So, of course, that was how Mei's brothers found them when they ran in to call both of them for dinner.

"EWWWW!" they screeched in unison.

"Mom, dad, Izuku and Mei are kissing!" Hiroki yelled as he ran out.

Komaru made gagging sounds as he watched Izuku scramble to stand up, which Mei wasn't making any easier as she tried to throw her laundry at her brother.

"You're not supposed to be in here!" Mei yelled. "This is mine and Izuku's room!"

"Izuku, you got Mei's undies on your head!" Nikiwa laughed as he dodged a smelly shirt. He ran off after his older brother, still taunting Izuku and Mei.

"Oh no," Izuku groaned. "Your dad is going to kill me."

"He better not, I looked it up. That counts as first base in baseball. Why did no one tell me baseball was so much fun? But why do you need so many players on a team? That seems really complicated and I wouldn't want to kiss all of them," Mei complained.

That made Izuku blush an even deeper red as he quickly removed Mei's laundry from himself and dropped it back on the floor. To his surprise, neither Mei's mother nor father nor even her sister came to yell at them, and when they made their way up to dinner no one aside from the still sniggering boys seemed to think much of it.

At last, Komaru glared at his father and demanded, "Aren't they going to get into trouble?"

"Were their clothes still on?" Mr. Hatsume said, his eyes on his plate.

"Well yeah," Komaru said, scrunching up his face. "But they were kissing."

"They're teenagers who are dating. I'd be worried if they weren't doing that with some regularity," Mr. Hatsume said. "Mind your own business."

"That was actually the first time!" Mei said excitedly, which made her father and sister cough and splutter, but her mother let out a long suffering sigh. Izuku wondered if he could crawl under the low table and die.

"Well it was really gross," Nikiwa commented. "You shouldn't do that where people can see."

Mei glared at her brother. "Maybe brats shouldn't come into my laboratory!"

"I thought it was your workshop?" Nikiwa complained.

"Well now I'm doing biology and chemistry so it's a laboratory!" Mei huffed.

"Just as long as all your experiments keep your clothes on," Mrs. Hatsume said, a small smile on her lips.

"I always wear proper PPE in the lab! And so does Izuku!" Mei protested. She then shook her head. "But we had to take the goggles off to kiss. They got in the way."

"That seems very practical," Mr. Hatsume said faintly. "Just, um, make sure you're not using the, um, other kind of protective equipment."

"You mean gloves? But that could contaminate the samples!" Mei protested, a horrified expression on her face.

"We, um, we'll keep it at first base," Izuku managed, his face feeling as though he'd been out in the sun for a week.

"Now that's something I never thought I'd hear," Hari chuckled. "My little sister learning how to play baseball. I thought you hated sports."

"It was actually very fun. You should try it sometime, Hari! Maybe you and Togata or Shinso could play! I bet they'd be good at it," Mei mused.

Now it was Hari's time to blush, and Mr. Hatsume to burst out laughing. "I think maybe your sister has more experience than you think, Mei," he said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Hari looked down and muttered something Izuku didn't catch, but Mei clearly did.

"Well if you can't find the right person to play with, you should meet some of my friends! I bet they'd be good at it," Mei prompted.

"So, what are your plans for summer?" Mrs. Hatsume said brightly. "I know you have that summer camp, but what else will the two of you be doing?"

"Oh, that's easy! We're going to isolate the quirk gene and figure out how Togata got two!" Mei explained. "I still think he got his from All Might."

"Togata is All Might's son?!" Hari said, looking up in shock. "I thought...didn't you say he was the student training Izuku? He's Lemillion, right, the guy who captured Stain?"

"Yeah, he's super cool!" Nikiwa said eagerly. "You can bring him over so we can meet him, right?"

"T-t-they're not related," Izuku explained hastily. "Um, Mei just noticed that Togata's quirk seems to be manifesting similarly to All Mights."

"And they're both blond with funny eyes!" Mei added. "I bet if I got some of All Might's DNA I could prove their quirks are the same! Maybe he is All Might's son!"

"You should totally bring him over!" Komaru exclaimed. "He can sign my action figures and comic books!"

"He's really funny, he always makes jokes," Mei went on. "And he's really strong! I'm still a little mad he beat up our super cute baby though...but he did use our foam to do it so at least he showed how our babies are both amazing!"

"Wow. Funny, strong, and famous? I'm not usually into younger guys, but at least tell me he's 18," Hari sighed.

"Hari, he's still in school," Mrs. Hatsume said sternly. "You're much too old for him."

"I'm only 20," Hari grumbled. "I'm not a Christmas Cake yet."

"There's cake? Where? Is it caramel? I love caramel, you know that!" Mei said eagerly.

That resulted in Hari actually baking a cake with Mei's frantic encouragement. As Izuku well knew, anything that Mei made herself would be the sort of thing Izuku wouldn't feed to a sick dog, let alone himself or his girlfriend. Mei would scarf it down happily enough if she were hungry though, which meant that Izuku made sure he did all the cooking. Mei seemed to think combining different things that tasted good at random was fine, then laughed that it tasted awful and ate it anyway.

As for Hari, she simply followed the directions on the box of cake mix, competently combining ingredients and following directions, though not in any inspired way. Izuku helped out; he was no culinary genius but Hari trusted him not to try to put in shoyu or cayenne pepper because he liked them in isolation, so why not in a cake?

Mei left after a few minutes to go back to the workshop, leaving Izuku and Hari alone in the kitchen.

"First kiss huh?" Hari said, carefully putting the cake into the oven and closing it.

"Um, yeah," Izuku admitted. "She, um, wanted my DNA, and, well, she was really close and I thought-"

"Please tell me that isn't a metaphor," Hari groaned.

"No, um, she wanted to swab my mouth," Izuku explained as he stirred the pot he was using to make the caramel frosting. "I'm, er, the control group. Since, you know, I'm quirkless. She's trying to identify the genes that create quirks. Um, Shinso and her had an argument. She thinks somehow All Might gave his quirk to Togata so he has two now."

"Well I'd say that's impossible and she's being silly, but frankly I've seen her make so much stuff I would have sworn is impossible I'm not going to rule it out," Hari said.

She sighed, leaning against the wall in the small kitchen. "You know, when I was a kid I dreamed about having another quirk. Sure, mine is useful and all, but well, it's not cool. I can't fly or shoot lasers or turn into a monster or whatever. I never seriously wanted to be a hero like you do, but I daydreamed about it. Being quirkless...I can't imagine what you went through going up. Hard enough getting made fun of because my eyes look different."

"It was...bad," Izuku admitted, tapping the spoon on the side of the pot to get off the caramel mix. He put the lid on, letting it simmer for the prescribed time. "You know who Bakugo is. Well, he...he seemed to take offense that I existed sometimes. I-I wanted to be friends, we'd been friends when we were little, but...but he saw I was weak."

"You're not weak now," Hari said, poking Izuku in the ribs. That made him gasp in shock, and she laughed. "I'm not gonna lie, my sister picked out a hottie. You're not really my type, being a quiet nerd and all. You were a stick when we met, but damn if you didn't turn out to be a beefcake. You've got a lot of muscles on you now. I hope Mei appreciates it."

Izuku flushed and looked away, unsure of how to answer. Hari sighed. "Sorry. Don't mean to embarrass you, Izuku. It's just...I'm happy for the two of you. I mean, I worried about Mei. A lot. I had friends growing up. Sure, some kids made fun of me, but I fit in, especially with the kids who joined the automotive club. Even had a few boyfriends over the years, though nothing serious like the two of you. Now I spend so much damn time working I don't feel like I have the time for it. My last boyfriend turned out to be a real jerk, and...and you don't need to hear about my life. I'm the big sister, I'm supposed to give you advice, right?"

Izuku nodded, and Hari continued. "You know how Mei is. And that she has a hard time getting along with people. Seeing you come along, and now Shinso and this Togata...it's great. Mei has friends now. It'd be nice if she ever found some other girls to hang out with, but I'll take what I can get."

"Um, she hangs out with Ashido and Jiro at school sometimes," Izuku said. "They're in the Hero Course, but they come by the workshop to talk about their costumes and stuff with Mei. Mei made some gear for both of them, and I helped out their friend Kaminari with his quirk. They'll be at the summer camp, so maybe-"

Hari put her hands on Izuku's shoulder. "Izuku, if you can somehow get Mei to have a few girlfriends who she can hang out with that won't treat her like a freak, I give you my permission to marry my little sister."

Izuku went pale, then red, then pale again, his mouth opening and closing silently. Then he suddenly let out a yelp. "The frosting!"

Thankfully, the frosting hadn't burned, and after a little while they were indeed able to serve up a delicious caramel chocolate cake for dessert. The cake tasted good, and it was fun to eat with Mei's family, but the dessert made Izuku think of his taste of something sweeter, and that thought only made him blush.


	19. Last Days of Childhood

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77_

_19: Last Days of Childhood_

_I've never been the kind of man who laughs in the face of danger, much preferring to snigger behind its back and make vulgar hand gestures while it isn't looking._

_-Commissar Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium_

To Izuku's surprise, for the first time in his life his exam results placed him at the top of his class. His scores in the traditional academic areas had been good, enough to place him near the top of the class, but his stellar practical exam results had so far outstripped everyone else's but Mei's. What did surprise him was to learn that his exam score actually averaged higher than Mei's. Her scores in Science and Math were near perfect, but her scores in language arts, history, and of course English were only decent. That resulted in Mei being ranked 3rd in the class, behind the ever smug Koja.

"I can't believe I was ranked first in the class!" Izuku repeated for about the dozenth time as they walked to the train station.

"Yep. I knew you could," Mei agreed. "So believe it."

"I just… I have a hard time believing I'm actually good at something," Izuku admitted. "I always thought, well, that everyone was better than me."

"Well, you won the sports festival," Mei pointed out.

"Yeah, but only because you helped me," Izuku said, blushing slightly.

Mei shrugged. "Well, of course I did. But you still did it. You help me too, but I don't think I can't do something. If I thought about all the reasons I couldn't do something I'd never make another super cute baby again!"

"That's what I love the most about you, Mei," Izuku sighed. "You're always so confident. In yourself, and in me."

"Thanks! I love how you listen and give me hugs," Mei said happily.

Izuku suddenly stopped, feeling himself go slightly numb. He'd actually said it. After a moment, Mei stopped too, turning around and frowning. "Izuku, we have to get home so we can finish working on the list of supplies we need for summer camp! Mr. Aizawa said we have to give it to him by Monday!"

"You...you said you love me," Izuku said, blushing and looking down. "And… I said I love you."

Mei came right up to Izuku, looking into his eyes with a concerned expression. "Do you?"

"Yes...I...I think I do love you, Mei. Because...because you believed in me, and because you're pretty and-"

"Good!" Mei turned around and started walking again. "Then let's get that list finished. I think we'll need extra tungsten so we can make some reinforced gear, and-"

Izuku walked on, for a moment, feeling dejected that Mei hadn't said she loved him back again. But then, he thought about it a little more. Mei rarely, if ever, talked much about her feelings or the feelings of others. That, Izuku had come to learn, was just sort of who she was. There were a lot of other ways that Mei told Izuku she loved him though. Her constant desire to be close to him, and share physical affection. Her willingness to share her dreams with him, and the fact that she always believed in his dreams. Maybe, he'd just have to live with-

"Oh, and Izuku, I love you too. Hari told me I should say that back to you when you say it to me because it's important to people. But you knew that already, right?"

A smile crept over Izuku's face. "Yeah, I guess I did. But it's good to hear it too. Oh, and don't forget, we're going to need more propellent for the rockets, and materials to make new ones. I want to try out different formulations for the capture foam as well. It really tastes bad and if we rescue someone we don't want them gagging."

"Who cares how it tastes if they're safe?" Mei complained. She glanced at Izuku and shrugged. "Fine, fine. We can make it taste like cherries. But not grapes. I hate grape flavor."

The time leading up to the summer camp was spent mostly in the lab, save for the days Shinso decided to drag Mei and Izuku out to do something.

"You two really need a hobby," Shinso informed them one day, showing up to Mei's house dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. "Ever play any video games?"

"Um, yeah, but I haven't really had time for them since I met Mei," Izuku admitted.

"Were they all games about being a hero?" Shinso demanded, glancing at the gene sequencer. He clearly didn't know what it was, and walked over to examine the other projects scattered on the tables.

"Um, they were mostly All Might games. I was, um, a bit of a fanboy."

"Glad you got over it, that would have been insufferable," Shinso remarked. "What about you, Hatsume? Ever play any video games?"

"We had to play games during social groups in Mr. Onizuku's class but I never liked them," Mei declared. "They wouldn't let me make my own. Here, test this out! It's a voice modulator with a built in radio! See if you can mind control me!"

"Um, OK." Shinso put on the voice modulator, then said in a voice that was pitched much higher. "Hatsume, can I mind control you?"

Mei frowned and leaned forward to tap on the modulator, making Shinso lean back awkwardly. "Hmm, not working, maybe you need to-"

Her eyes suddenly glazed over. Shinso nodded. "Take a big step back, Hatsume. You're in my personal space."

Mei took a step back, then stood, her eyes glassy and dull, a bit of drool leaking from her mouth. Izuku put his hand over his mouth, feeling the urge to vomit.

"Tell Midoriya we should go to the arcade and have some fun," Shinso said, pointing to Izuku.

Mei made motions towards the door, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out.

"S-stop, Shinso, that's creepy," Izuku protested.

Shinso glanced at Izuku with a bored expression, but he shrugged and Mei suddenly began to speak again. "-have your voice in the normal tone and pitch. Amplification didn't work, your quirk is limited to your actual voice, can't be electronic. I thought for sure if my baby just modulated your tone-"

"It worked, Mei," Shinso said, taking the modulator off. "That was a good idea. I thought I sounded weird. Someone wouldn't be able to tell it was me. Think you could make it so I could control the voice so it sounded deeper or higher?"

"It does! There's a dial here, just twist it up for higher, down for lower!" Mei said excitedly, apparently totally nonplussed about having been mind controlled. "I knew my super cute baby would work!"

"Right. Anyway, you two actually want to go out and do something fun?" Shinso asked. "You've literally been here every time I've texted you."

"They would love to go out!" Hari stuck her head in from outside, grinning. "You must be Shinso! Good to finally meet you. Glad there's someone aside from Izuku who wants to hang out with my sis!"

"That would be me. I promise not to brainwash you. Much," Shinso said, bowing a bit stiffly.

"Pfff, that explains how Mei got you to hang out with her. Or wait, you meant the other way around! I always thought she'd have to kidnap or brainwash someone to be her friend. That's what she did to Izuku, you know."

"Really?" Shinso said, a gleam of interest showing in his eyes. "I always figured they met at the junkyard looking for scrap."

"Close! It was a dumpster. Izuku pulled me out of it when I was trying to look for parts to make more super cute babies," Mei said. "He was very helpful. And he fell in love with the Power Suit at first sight!"

"I think it was you, Mei, not the Power Suit. It never told me I could be a hero," Izuku said, coming over to take Mei's hand and give it a squeeze.

"I'm going to puke," Shinso said dully. "Look, do you want to go to the arcade or not? It could be fun. Maybe they have a broken machine or something you can fix."

"I already said they do! Go on you two, go socialize. It will be good for you," Hari ordered.

"Yeah, I think it would be," Izuku agreed. "Come on Mei."

"Ok, let me change," Mei said, and started pulling off her shirt.

Shinso, it seemed, had pressing business elsewhere and bolted out the door, much to Hari's amusement. Izuku just took off his own shirt and changed into the clean clothes he'd brought, keeping his back to Mei. He was sort of used to seeing her like this now, and while it was certainly titillating, he was no longer quite as embarrassed as he'd once been. Besides, they were dating after all.

"Warn me next time," Shinso said as they started off for the mall.

"Sorry, I guess you're just not used to us yet," Izuku said, winking at Mei.

Mei winked back, having left her goggles behind at Hari's insistence. "What are we sorry about? Oh, is it because Shinso almost saw me naked? Are you mad about that, Izuku? Hari's boyfriends used to get mad about people seeing her naked."

"Not that I don't think you're pretty and all Mei, but I think Midoriya would kill me if he thought I was trying to steal you," Shinso grumbled, putting his hands in his pockets.

Mei nodded thoughtfully. "That's OK! We'll find you a girlfriend too, Shinso. Hari says people need someone. Do you like her? She doesn't have a boyfriend right now."

That made Shinso turn bright red, and he slouched over even further. "I...have romantic issues of my own. And besides, I don't think Hari would be interested in someone so much younger than her."

"She likes Togata! Well, she never met him, but when we talked about him she said he was cute on TV," Mei said.

"Mei, what sort of games do you think we should try?" Izuku asked, redirecting the conversation. Mei would continue to talk about the subject that clearly flustered Shinso until Shinso died of embarrassment, and Izuku didn't want either of them to feel uncomfortable on what was supposed to be a fun trip.

"Is there a game where you get to make super cute babies? I would like one of those! Maybe we could make a flamethrower! I keep wanting to try one for the Power Suit but Izuku keeps telling me the fuel mix is unstable and then it explodes."

"Gee. I wonder why Izuku thinks it's unstable then," Shinso chuckled.

"Oh, it is. He's usually right about that but a flamethrower would be extra cute!" Mei said.

"Well, maybe I have something almost as good," Shinso said with a grin.

As it turned out, what Shinso had was Super Robot Wars: Ultra Arcade. It was at an eclectic little arcade at the back of the Kiyashi Ward Mall, full of old model arcade games.

"See, you just pick your favorite fighter and then go at it," Shinso explained. "Here, you like flame throwers, so you should pick the GoLion. Flamethrower spam is a decent enough tactic."

"Really? But it's not real," Mei complained.

"Just think of it as picking up ideas for your babies or whatever," Shinso told her. "Try it. Hey, Izuku, play me at Disney vs Capcom?"

"Um, sure," Izuku agreed. He glanced behind him as Mei swiped the arcade pass card Shinso had given her, and began playing the game as the suggested GoLion. See seemed interested enough, and Izuku smiled.

"I call Zero and Hulk, they're busted in this game," Shinso chuckled as he swiped his own card on the machine. "You can pick whoever. Spiderman and Luke Skywalker are good choices for beginners."

"Hey, they have Iron Man!" Izuku said excitedly, quickly choosing that character. "Do they have Batman?"

"I don't know," Shinso admitted. "These games are really old, I don't know who most of the characters are really."

"Hmm, well, Tronn Bonne looks like she has her own power suit. I'll try that one," Izuku said.

"Pick one more, I'm just doing random, I like to try everyone," Shinso advised.

Izuku ended up going with Spiderman, as he'd appeared in a few issues of Iron Man and he liked the character. The game was a fast paced fighter, and Izuku was mostly smashing buttons for the first game, which he lost handily to Shinso. However, for the next game Izuku paid more attention to his combos, and managed to score a narrow victory after Shinso randomly selected his entire team. Their last match though Shinso revealed he'd only been using a fraction of his power, and utterly dominated Izuku.

"That was fun," Izuku laughed. "Any other good games? Mei, you having fun?"

He glanced over to see Mei with one of the store employees. "No no no! Look, you've got this wired all wrong! Ugh, Izkuku could explain it to you but I'll fix it myself. What, did you make this yourself?"

"Yes, actually," the irritated man said, glaring at Mei. "Look, I don't come into your house and tell you how to wire your electronics."

"Good thing too, you're bad at it," Mei told him. "Just let me take it apart and fix it! It will take me like five minutes!"

"Hey, is there a problem?" Shinso said as he and Izuku hurried over.

The store owner glanced at Shinso. "Yeah, your girlfriend here is trying to take apart my machine!"

"I'm not his girlfriend, I'm Izuku's girlfriend!" Mei lectured.

The man did a double take at Izuku, his jaw dropping. "Holy crap! You're that quirkless kid who won the 1st Year UA sports festival!"

"Um, yeah, that's me," Izuku admitted. It had been a long time since anyone had recognized him, mostly because he had kept his helmet on the entire time, save for the medal ceremony.

"Wait, does that mean she's the chick who helped you make that awesome mecha?" the owner demanded.

Shinso grinned. "Yeah, Abe. That's Mei Hatsume, and this is Izuku Midoriya. You know I go to UA too, right?"

"Of course, that's why you get a discount," Abe said. He looked at Mei again rubbing his chin. "Ok, tell you what. I'll get my tools and let you try your hand. This machine's always giving me problems and I suppose you can't make it much worse."

He disappeared, and Mei happily took out a screwdriver from her cargo pants and began opening panels. "Um, Mei, are you still having fun?" Izuku asked nervously.

"I am now! He said I could play for free if I fixed this! There was a glitch on the screen I bet I can fix," Mei said, then started happily humming to herself.

"You don't mind if we play, right?" Shinso asked, sounding a bit worried.

"No, no, you go play the games. I'll play with you after I fix this, it's bothering me," Mei stated.

After that, Shinso and Izuku tried out several of the games, from Rogue Squadron VI to Wacky Races Reborn. Mei joined them a few times, but on the racing games she ended up getting a bit motion sick.

"We can leave if you want," Izuku suggested.

"I'm fine. I just need an energy drink or something," Mei said.

"Hey, good idea." Shinso fished in his pocket and pulled out a few bills. "Get me something too, and maybe something to eat as well. There's a place that serves American Style food a few doors down. They have decent enough food if you like foreign stuff."

"Sure," Mei agreed, taking the money. "Izuku, should I get food for us too?"

"Yeah, whatever looks good. What do you recommend Shinso?" Izuku asked.

"Go for the hamburgers and fries. Ask for extra pickles, I like those. No cheese though. Get me a soda or something," Shinso said.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Izuku agreed. "I tried hamburgers before and they're pretty good."

"You got the kids meals from that one chain that had All Might toys in them didn't you?" Shinso teased as they went back to the games.

"M-maybe," Izuku admitted.

"Ha! I did the same thing. Relax, you're not the only one who had an All Might obsession," Shinso laughed.

As they sat down at another arcade table, Shinso glanced around. "Speaking of," he said quietly. "Have you thought about...you know. What All Might said? And about his being...well, you know. At the end of his career..."

"It's scary," Izuku agreed. "A world without All Might. That's...that's a frightening one. And he wants us to take up his mantle. I mean, I've alway said I wanted to become the world's greatest hero, but...but I mean, to try to take All Might's place…"

Shinso nodded, his eyes losing focus as he looked into the colorful flashing lights of the game. "I don't think I could do that. I'm just not...well, I'm not much of a people person."

"You'll be a great hero though, Shinso," Izuku assured him. "With your quirk, and all the hard work you've put in this last semester, I know you'll be able to be a great hero, who saves lots of people. You should just, I don't know. Smile more."

Slowly, a wide grin spread across Shinso's face, his large flat teeth and sunken eyes giving him a skeletal expression. Izuku involuntarily flinched, wincing at the rather morbid sight. That made Shinso actually smile, a small, private grin, but one that held actual warmth. "I don't think all of us can smile like All Might. I'm more like Mr. Aizawa. I'll fight from the shadows. If people know my quirk, I won't be as effective. That's your job, Midoriya."

"Maybe," Izuku temporized. "So, Hungry Hungry Hippos? How do you play that?"

"Ugh. It's a kids game. Here, let me show you. You smack this and try to eat the balls and you win tickets. You just get junk with them, but sometimes I want some candy or something."

They played a few rounds, but after a while Izuku looked up. "Hey, Mei's not back. I hope she's OK."

"Maybe there's a long line at the restaurant," Shinso guessed.

"Maybe. Let's just go see. If there is, we can wait together," Izuku said, feeling a bit worried. "Sometimes she gets lost or distracted."

"Yeah, fine. Hey, Abe, we're heading out. Maybe we'll be back later."

"Sure! And thanks for bringing your friends! Hatsume fixed four machines, one of them I thought was a write off!" Abe said enthusiastically. "She can have free games whenever she wants them!"

"That will be basically never," Shinso muttered as they left. He glanced at Izuku. "You spend a lot of time worried about Mei, don't you?"

"Well, she's special to me. I think...I think I love her," Izuku admitted, blushing and looking away. He wouldn't admit that to just anyone, but he knew Shinso pretty well, and felt like the other boy was his closest friend aside from Mei.

"Obviously. But I mean, I don't worry about you wandering off or whatever. But you keep an eye on Mei," Shinso observed.

"I mean, yeah. But I don't mind! She's just, well, she's like me," Izuku tried to explain.

Shinso snorted. "You're both pretty awkward, but Mei's different. She said she had ASD or something, right? That's like a mental disorder or something?"

"Um, a little, but, well, it mostly means Mei thinks differently," Izuku explained. "I feel like it's kinda private, but, well, you know she doesn't really understand a lot of social concepts. And when she gets distracted by something, she can really get into trouble going after it. A year ago, she might have just taken apart that machine without asking Abe."

"No surprise. At least she asked this time. And speak of the devil, there she is. You know that guy?" Shinso asked, pointing.

Izuku saw Mei sitting on a bench, an energy drink in her hand, a boy in a dark hoodie sitting beside her with hair a similar color to Shinso's obscuring his eyes. At first Izuku was just curious, wondering if this was one of Mei's old classmates. Then he saw Mei's face. Her eyes were very wide, a fixed smile on her face. Her hands were trembling, and there were dents in the bottle of energy drink where her fingers were gripping it.

"She's terrified!" Izuku gasped. He started to run forward, shouting, "Mei!"

Her eyes shot to Izuku, and she became suddenly frantic, wiggling. Izuku realized the boy had his hand around her neck, one finger extended. "Izuku! Go away! I don't want to talk to you!" Mei half screamed. A few passers by paused to look, but upon seeing it was a group of teens, moved on, apparently deciding it was some sort of high school drama.

Izuku halted, feeling panicked. Who was this other boy? What was he doing to Mei?

"Listen to her, friend," the boy hissed. "Walk away. Hatsume and I are just old friends catching up. Go play with your little toys for a while."

"Hey man, nice hoodie," Shinso called, continuing forward at a nonchalant pace, his hands in his pockets. "Where'd you get it."

The other boy snarled, looking up, his red eyes glaring. "None of your-"

Suddenly he froze, his eyes glazing over.

"Let her go, and step back!" Shinso barked.

Slowly, the other boy complied. Mei sprang up, tears leaking down her face. She rushed to Izuku, running behind him and pressing her face to his back. She was weeping and trembling, clearly frightened.

"Mei, what happened, what did he do to you?" Izuku asked.

"He said he was going to hurt you and me and all the other heroes and was going to destroy all our babies and he was from the League of Villains and it was all UA's fault for ruining his nomus and that he was going to be like Stain and I was scared and I thought he was going to hurt you and I want to go home!" Mei wailed.

"Izuku, call the police," Shinso grunted. "I've got this bastard."

People were beginning to stop and notice now, clearly confused.

"Hey, I think that kid's using his quirk!" someone called. "He's got the other boy trapped somehow!"

"Hey, what do you think you kids are doing, using your quirks here!" someone growled, shoving Shinso.

"No, don't!" Izuku cried.

It was too late. Shinso was shoved into a potted plant, tripping over it and going sprawling. The other boy immediately unfroze, growling and reaching towards Izuku and Mei.

"Mei, run!" Izuku cried, shoving her away.

"No!" Mei wailed. She put herself between Izuku and the other boy, but then more strangers shoved their way forward.

"Someone call mall security!" one cried as he grabbed the boy in the hoodie. "We've got people using their-"

"You're in my way!" the boy snarled. He put his hand on the stranger, closing his fingers around the man's wrist where he had been grabbed.

The man suddenly screamed in pain, jumping back. His arm turned to dust and fell away. And then blood began to gush from the wound. Immediately, the crowd screamed in panic and began to flee. Izuku was nearly knocked over, and it was all he could do to cling to Mei and hold onto her as they were battered. In a moment they were alone, save for Shinso who stumbled out of the plant, and the boy in the hoodie.

"You," he growled. "You're the one who All Might made the victor at the UA sports festival. You're a quirkless freak! You should be rallying to me, trying to tear down this worthless society! And yet you act like some pathetic lap dog of these fools! I should kill you now!"

"Mei, run," Izuku whispered. "It's time for me to fight. Go get help."

"But Izuku, I-"

"I love you," Izuku said, shoving Mei away. "Now run!"

"You're a fool!" the boy hissed, and dived at Izuku. "I'll kill you both!"

Mei screamed, turning to run. "I love you, Izuku!"

Izuku dodged to the side, but the other boy grabbed at him. His hand came inches away from Izuku's face, but then the other boy let out a grunt.

"Not so tough now!" Shinso snarled, his kick catching the boy in his midsection. "Fight me, you ugly bastard!"

The boy grunted, but he didn't answer, glaring at Shinso, then lunging for him.

Izuku ducked and his own foot struck out, catching the villain in the leg. He stumbled, giving Shinso time to back away. The two of them backed away from the boy, staying a few feet away from each other so as not to interfere with the other, but close enough to support them.

The man from earlier was weeping and crawling away, leaving a trail of dark blood as he cradled his arm. Izuku winced, knowing he should help the man, but also that if he turned his back on this boy he would be dead in seconds.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" the boy muttered to himself. "It wasn't supposed to be this way!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I interfering with your plans?" Shinso taunted. "Guess you're not half as good as Stain anyway!"

The other boy didn't answer. He lunged forward again at Shinso, who backed away. Izuku moved in to flank, but the boy suddenly turned towards him, swiping his hand through the air. Izuku pivoted away, but it had been a feint. The other boy ran into a nearby shop, causing screams to erupt.

"Damn it!" Shinso cursed. "Stop running you coward!"

They both ran after the fleeing boy, but he was gone out the back.

"He's gone, and he's too dangerous for us to follow," Izuku said, putting his hand out. "Let's help the victim."

"Right," Shinso agreed. "Damn it! I had him!"

Izuku tore off his shirt, using it to make a makeshift bandage for the trembling man as Shinso took off his belt and used it to make a tourniquet. Not more than a minute later, the police and EMS arrived, and took control of the situation. Izuku was given a blanket to wrap about himself, and both he and Shinso were taken to the police station along with Mei. She had run through the mall screaming for help, and was found by the police at the entrance. As soon as she saw Izuku, she scrambled away from the policeman who had been helping her and lept into Izuku's arms, once more weeping. They were thankfully allowed to ride in a police cruiser together, the police understanding their need for one another for comfort.

At the station, they were taken to separate rooms to be interviewed though, much to both Izuku and Mei's reluctance. Inside, the officer who sat down with Izuku had the head of a cat, and studied him with large yellow amber eyes.

"Tell me what happened, Mr. Midoriya," he said seriously.

Izuku told him everything he remembered, including the part where Shinso had freed Mei using his quirk.

The officer sighed and rubbed at his cheek with a paw like hand. "You're sure Shinso used his quirk to get her free? He didn't just distract the perp and let her get away?"

"Um, yeah, that boy went all slack, and obeyed him, like when-"

"It is illegal for a civilian to use their quirk on someone else in a public space," the officer said, as if to no one. "However, if your friend just distracted the suspect with a random comment, and Hatsume got free-"

"I know. But, um, well, Mei won't understand. She won't lie," Izuku explained.

"Let us worry about that," the officer stated. "Now, you're absolutely certain Shinso used his quirk?"

"No. Not really," Izuku admitted.

"Then I'll just put down that Shinso distracted the suspect. As for the fight, well, neither of you used any quirks."

"I'm, um, quirkless," Izuku said quietly.

The officer blinked. "I know. But I'm being thorough. Again, no one used any quirks, aside from the suspect?"

"Um, yes. Do you know who he is?"

"Officially, it's too early to say. Unofficially, you three just had a run in with one of the most dangerous individuals in Japan. That was Tomura Shigaraki. He's the mastermind behind the USJ attack on UA, and possibly a collaborator with the Hero Killer, Stain. He's the head of the so-called League of Villains."

"Oh god," Izuku moaned, putting his head in his hands. "And he could have killed Mei!"

"Yes. Well, let's get you two back together. You think you can help Mei get her story straight?"

Izuku looked up, wincing. "I don't want to have to tell Mei to lie…"

"Look, kid. It's going to be damn hard to prove Shinso used his quirk, because it's a psychological one. There's no visible sign. People jumped to conclusions. Can you really be 100% sure he used his quirk?"

"No, I can't," Izuku admitted.

"Good. Now go get your girlfriend to admit it."

He took Izuku down the hall to another room, where Mei was talking to another officer, this one looked more like a normal human woman. The other officer looked up as they entered, and Mei was talking animatedly.

"-and if we'd had our super cute babies, Izuku would have smashed that villain! That's why I'm never leaving my house without a flamethrower again!" Mei vowed. "Izuku! Tell the police lady that-"

"Good grief, thank God you're here Tamakawa," the other officer groaned. "Can you get her to just shut up and give me her statement? She keeps going on about her babies! Christ, she's like 16! How'd she have so many kids!"

"Um, she means our inventions," Izuku explained. He hurried over and hugged Mei, who sagged into him. "And, well, I guess we both babble when we're scared. Mei, can you tell the officer what happened?"

"Yes," Mei said. Then buried her face in Izuku chest and didn't say anything else.

"Miss Hatsume, we do need your statement," Tamakawa said gently. "Please, can you tell us?"

Mei nodded, then shook her head. "I'll tell Izuku," she said, her voice muffled.

The two officers looked at one another. "We can just turn on the recording equipment," Tamakawa said. "That should work."

"She's, um, she has autism," Izuku said quietly, stroking Mei's hair. "Sometimes...sometimes talking to new people can be hard for people with that condition." At least, that was what Izuku had read when he looked up autism on the internet. He'd never known Mei to have that problem before.

"Awesome. This keeps getting better and better," the female officer sighed. She stood. "Ok, we'll leave you two alone. We can hear and see everything, so just have her sit up and tell you what happened and we'll count that as her statement for now."

The two officers left, but Mei stayed silent. Izuku continued to stroke Mei's hair, and she started to rock back and forth gently, humming to herself. At last, Izuku gently lifted Mei so he could see her face. She still had tears in her eyes, which were glassy and unfocused. "Mei, please, tell me, what happened?"

"I went to get food," Mei said, her voice soft. She rested her head on Izuku's shoulder, and began fiddling with his blanket. "The line was long, so I went to a vending machine and got a drink. When I walked back, that boy came up to me. He said he recognized me from the sports festival. He was smiling. But then...then he got scary. He put his hand around my neck, and told me he'd kill me and you if I yelled. I...I almost did. But then...then he took the money out of my hand with his other hand, and...and when he touched it, it turned into dust. And then I believed him."

"He made me sit on a bench. He said lots of words, but...but I couldn't listen. I was too scared. He was talking about all kinds of things, how he hated UA, and me and you, and All Might, and his nomu and Stain and...I don't remember. And then you came, and...and...and I thought he was going to kill you, Izuku. I thought...I thought you wouldn't be there anymore. Because...because that boy hated me."

"He's a villain, Mei. He...he hates everyone," Izuku said, squeezing Mei's shoulder tightly. "That's why...that's why I want to be a hero. To protect people from villains like him. But, especially you. To protect you."

"Ok," Mei agreed quietly. "That's what our babies are for, right?"

"Yeah. Anything else?"

"And then Shinso yelled at him and he let me go," Mei said softly. "And then...and then I don't remember, and there was blood and screaming and…" Mei buried her face in Izuku's chest again. "Make it stop," she pleaded. "Make it all go away. I don't like it."

"I will," Izuku promised. "He'll never touch you again. You'll be safe Mei."

They sat like that for a while, and Mei began humming and rocking herself again. After a few minutes, the officers came in quietly.

"That'll work. Shinso's story matches yours, though he needed some persuading. Be a damn shame if you kids got in trouble. Honestly, you did good. People could have died. A lot of people," Tamakawa said, putting down two mugs of tea.

"Um, Mei likes energy drinks. Or coffee with lots of sugar," Izuku said, looking up. "How's the man who was injured?"

Tamakawa let out a soft hiss. "He lost the arm up to the elbow. Some kind of corruption in the quirk. But he'll live. You kids saved his life with your first aid. I got coffee. Two sugars and cream?"

Izuku looked down at Mei, who nodded. "Please. Tea's fine for me."

"Ok. Hang tight, kid. Your parents are on their way."

Twenty minutes later, Izuku's mother and Mei's parents arrived. Inko was weeping openly, but to Izuku's surprise so was Mr. Hatsume. Mei's mother looked worn and sick with worry, but she was comforting the more distraught parents.

"My baby girl!" Mr. Hatsume wept, sweeping Mei into a tight hug.

"Oh my God Izuku, I was so worried! What happened to you?!" Inko wailed as she too embraced her son.

"Mei...Mei got captured by the leader of the League of Villains," Izuku explained. "But Shinso rescued her."

"-and then Izuku beat up the bad guy!" Mei was telling her parents. "I was really scared and then he made me leave to go get help! I was worried because he didn't have any of our babies with him! Next time, I'm making him bring a flamethrower or at least some grenades!"

"Izuku saved you?" her father demanded, looking up.

"Um, it was really Shinso. We, um, had to lie, but, ah, he used his quirk. Someone knocked him down and Shigaraki got free, but Shinso nearly captured him," Izuku explained. "Then he and I had to fight him off. He got away, but he was too dangerous for us to chase."

"I should say so!" Inko exploded. "Izuku! You're not a hero yet!"

"He will be!" Mei stated. "Izuku is the best hero ever already! He saved me! And so did Shinso, but mostly it was Izuku! I was scared, but he came for me and saw I was in trouble!"

Inko hesitated. "You...you really did save her, didn't you, Izuku?"

"Izuku...I can't thank you enough," Mr. Hatsume said, his voice trembling. He suddenly pulled Izuku into a bear hug, nearly crushing the breath for the much smaller boy. "You saved my baby girl. You are a true hero. Thank you. Oh God, thank you so much."

"It was...my...privilege," Izuku gasped.

Mr. Hastume let Izuku go, wiping tears from his eyes. "We've got...we've got to get home. But...Izuku?"

"Yes, Mr. Hatsume?" Izuku managed.

"Call me dad. Or Shu. You've earned that much. Izuku, I want you to understand something. I'm going to trust you with the most precious thing in my life." Slowly, Mr. Hatsume gently pushed Mei toward Izuku. She happily latched onto him, letting out a low hum.

"Take good care of her, son. I think...I think you really will be a great hero. But more importantly, I know you'd do what I'd do: You'd risk your own life for my baby girl. And I don't think there's anything else in the world you could ever do that could make me happier for her. She's found a real man."

"Dear, they are only 16," Mrs. Hatsume said gently. "And arranged marriages aren't terribly in fashion anymore."

"Oh! I wasn't, I mean-" Mr. Hatsume sighed. "I just… I want him to know, Nori. Really know."

"He does, dear. Now let's let Inko get her son home. They need time alone too. Come on, Mei, Hari and your brothers are worried sick about you."

"Ok, mom," Mei agreed, letting her mother wrap her arms around her and steer her away. "But I can see Izuku again tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, dear. And whenever you want to."

"Ok. Can I have a flamethrower?"

"Talk to your father."

"That just means no."

"Talk to your father."

Izuku and his mother watched them go. Inko sighed. "Come on. Let's go home, Izuku."

"Ok."

They headed out the door, to where a policeman was waiting. He offered to drive them back to their apartment, and they gratefully accepted. The ride back was silent, but Inko held Izuku's hand tightly, tears trickling down her cheeks. Izuku worried she would try to forbid him from becoming a hero, but when the officer had walked them up to their apartment and closed the door, Inko stood on her tiptoes. She gently kissed Izuku on his cheek.

"I was wrong, Izuku. You won't be a great hero one day," she whispered.

"Mom?" Izuku asked, feeling a pit open up in her stomach.

Inko gently patted his cheek. "You already are one. I just didn't realize it until now."

"You're not...scared?" Izuku asked.

His mother let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. "I'm terrified! But...but you saved Mei, today. The police told me you saved a lot of other people too. And...and you didn't even have that robot armor or anything else with you. It was just you."

"Shinso was there. He saved Mei more than I did," Izuku said quietly, feeling slightly guilty.

Inko sighed. "I hope you always have friends like that with you. But you did it, Izuku. I guess it doesn't matter what special stuff you have, or who's with you. You'll be a hero. Because that's what you are. And, Izuku?"

"Yes, mom?"

"I'm so, so proud of you."

_Authors Note:_

_As some of my long time readers may be aware, I suffer recurring bouts of a disease that can make it very difficult for me to write at times. It is not, thankfully, something that is a major risk factor in the current crisis, and most of the time does not totally incapacitate me or result in a hospital stay. However, I am currently suffering another episode of moderate to severe symptoms. As such, posting may be difficult for me in the coming days and weeks. I don't know how long this will last, as it can be anywhere from a few hours to a few months, and the level of disruption can range from minor inconvenience to months of recovery in the hospital._

_The good news is, aside from a couple of chapters dealing with epilogues and resolution, the story is largely finished. The later chapters still need editing, revision, and passes from beta readers, but those would not be published for some time regardless. I ask for your patience in this time, as I may miss a few updates instead of posting every five days or so while I recover. If there is a serious interruption to the schedule, I'll try to have one of my friends or relatives update for me._

_As always, thanks for reading, and stay safe out there. _

_Full-Paragon_


	20. Achilles In His Tent

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77 and __Poliamida_

_20\. Achilles In His Tent_

_Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold._

― _Thomas Jefferson_

"Izuku! Did you remember to pack extra underwear? What if it's cold? Did you remember your jacket? What about-"

"It's fine, mom," Izuku said, giving his mother a crooked grin. "I have everything."

"Oh, are you sure?" Inko asked, wringing her hands nervously. "It's just...this is the first time you'll be away from home for a long time! What if you forget something?"

"I'll be OK, mom. Mei, Shinso, Mr. Aizawa, and the other kids from the Hero Course are going to be there," Izuku reassured her.

"Oh, alright. Just...try to have fun, OK? And stay safe!" his mother admonished.

Izuku smiled and reached out to give his mother a quick hug. He found himself doing that more, especially since Mei constantly craved physical affection. "I will mom. It's only a week, and the teachers will take care of us. We're just going to the woods to train. It'll be fun!"

"Alright. Well, I'll see you in a week! Have fun! And don't forget to call!" Inko ordered.

"Mom, it's in the woods. We won't have service. It'll be fine!" Izuku waved, then headed down to the street where Hari and Mei were waiting for them.

"You ready to go camping?" Hari asked, helping Izuku put his backpack in the trunk of her car.

"Yeah, it's my first time. I think it'll be fun," Izuku said, climbing into the backseat with Mei.

"I hope they remember to bring all our babies!" Mei said, sounding half frantic. "What if they forget the grappling hook? Or the missiles? How can we take care of our babies in the woods?!"

"It'll be fine, Mei. Sheesh, try to have fun. You remember when dad took us camping?" Hari asked, looking in the mirror as she pulled away from the curb.

"I remember that frogs taste funny," Mei muttered.

Izuku snorted, covering his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

"Oh, laugh all you want, Midoriya. I'm expecting you to make sure she comes back without needing a trip to the emergency room," Hari scolded.

"Well, I'm not a little kid anymore. I won't try to eat a frog. Besides, I was really bored. This time, I'll have Izuku and our babies to keep me company," Mei stated.

"I-I'll try to keep from eating any frogs," Izuku said seriously.

"They don't taste very good," Mei stated. "And then you can hear colors for a while. And hospitals are not fun either."

They arrived at the school right on time. Most of the other students were waiting around in front of UA, chatting or sitting on top of their luggage. One girl, Izuku was pretty sure it was Yaoyorozu, looked as though she had packed most of her belongings, as she had at least a dozen pieces of luggage. Bakugo was there, off to the side by himself with a single backpack. When he saw Izuku, he frowned and turned away, moving even further away from the group.

"Mei! Izuku!" Ashido called, waving excitedly and running over. "They told us you were going to be coming! This is super awesome! Are you going to be joining the Hero Course now?!"

"Um, maybe," Izuku said. "Um, Ashido, this is Hari Hatsume, Mei's older sister."

"Hello!" Ashido said, smiling and bowing politely. "Your sister is like, super smart. Plus, she's got pink hair! Like me! Us pink haired ladies got to stick together!"

"It's always nice to meet one of Mei's friends," Hari said, returning the bow. She fingered her own short pink hair, smiling. "I do have to say, pink is the best hair color."

"I know right? Come on Mei, Jiro and me are picking out tunes for the ride up. What songs do you like?"

Mei blinked, obviously baffled by the thought.

"Go on, Mei. Have fun with your friends," Hari encouraged.

"Um, what about Izuku?" Mei asked, looking slightly worried.

"It's fine, I'll be around," Izuku said. "Don't worry about me, have fun with Jiro and Ashido."

"Yeah! Come on, what sort of music do you like? Jiro's all about rock but personally I prefer hip hop, especially American or Korean! What about you?"

Mei let herself be led away by Jiro, and Izuku watched, smiling. It was good to see Mei finding more friends, and hoped she'd get along with the bubbly Ashido and the more reserved, snarky Jiro.

"Thank you, O wise and powerful one," Hari said, bowing deeply and pressing the palms of her hands together. "You have done as you promised. I offer you the hand of my sister in marriage."

"H-h-hari!" Izuku sputtered. "That's not-"

"Eh, you were totally going to marry her anyway, Midoriya. Don't lie," Shinso said, coming over and giving Izuku a sly grin. "Just accept it."

"I mean, but, it's Mei's-" Izuku babbled.

Hari laughed and slapped Izuku on the back. "You're funny, Izuku. Sup, Shinso?" She extended her fist to the blue haired boy, who glanced down, then obliged with a fist bump.

"Not much. Guess it's up to me to keep these two out of trouble?" Shinso asked.

Hari chuckled. "Just try to keep them from burning down the forest. Someone has to be the responsible one in the group."

"In my experience, that's usually Mei," Shinso said dryly. When Hari gave him an odd look, he elaborated, "If something catches on fire, your sister is usually the one responsible for it."

"Ha! I knew I liked you! Well, you kids have fun. Izuku, I'll pick you and Mei up in a week. Call or text when the bus gets close, OK?"

"Yeah, OK," Izuku agreed. "Thanks for the ride."

"Hatsume Motors, at your service!" Hari said, then hopped back in her car and drove off.

"Hey, Midoriya!"

Izuku turned to see Kirishima and Kaminari coming over. "How's it going, man?" Kirisima asked, holding up his hand for a high five.

"Um, ok. I-I hope I'm not causing trouble, joining you guys and all," Izuku said, obliging with a half hearted tap.

"Hey, the more the better! Plus, maybe you can keep this idiot from frying his brains out," Kirishima said with a grin, pointing over his shoulder to Kaminari.

"Yeah!" Kaminari agreed. Then suddenly frowned. "Hey!"

"Shinso, right?" Kirishima asked. "Good to meet ya. I'm Eijiro Kirishima. The guy with the dumb hair is Denki Kaminari. I thought we'd see more of ya, after you made it to the semifinals and all. You're hardcore!"

"Guess you know who I am," Shinso said stiffly. "I hope you don't mind I'm gunning for your place in the Hero Course."

"Right on!" Kirishima laughed. He activated his quirk, grinning and flexing his now rocky arm. "It's a challenge! Man to man!"

"Dude, what if he kicks me out?" Kaminari asked nervously. "I had the worst scores in the class and I failed the practical!"

"Did you?" Shinso said, giving Kaminari a tombstone grin. "Well, I guess I know who to aim for."

"Aw man, this sucks," Kaminari muttered. "I didn't even make it to the finals of the Sports Festival!"

"M-maybe they won't kick anyone out," Izuku offered. "Um, maybe they'll just, you know, make room for us. Mei isn't, um, well, she's probably going to stay in the support course. So, I guess it's just me and Shinso."

"What, really?" Kirishima asked, glancing over at Mei. She was listening to Ashido and Jiro talked, but seemed engaged in what they were saying at least. "Why not? She made it to the finals too. Of course, she would run smack into that jerk."

Izuku glanced at Bakugo, who had his back to the group and was sitting on top of his pack, his head resting on his arm as he looked off down the street. "Well, I guess so. But, um, isn't Bakugo, you know, popular in your class and all? He's really strong, and well, he did take second place and his grades were always good…"

"What, him?" Kaminari said. He glanced at Bakugo and his lip curled slightly in disgust and irritation. "Oh sure, he's strong and all, but his personality is a garbage fire. If we were going to vote to kick someone out of the class to make room for you two, he'd be the second one gone."

"Really? Who's the first?" Shinso asked, curious.

"Mineta," Kaminari and Kirishima said together.

"They caught the creep peeping on the girls in the bathroom," Kirishima said quietly, pointing to the purple haired dwarf. He was talking to a quiet girl with bright red hair who was smiling nervously at Mineta. "Not very heroic if you ask me."

"Someone should go rescue Akai," Kaminari said with a sigh.

"Don't bother, I think she actually likes the little freak," Kirishima said, sounding disgusted. "I don't get her at all."

"Attention, everyone! The bus will be here in one minute! Please, line up in an orderly fashion!" Iida called, waving his hands for attention.

"Yeah, yeah," Kirishima said with a sigh. "That guy would be annoying if he weren't right so much."

"That's why he's the class rep. So he can stay out of our hair," Kaminari muttered. Then he grinned. "Hey, Shinso, Midoriya, you should sit with us! It'd be nice to get to know our future classmates. And, um, thanks Midoriya. The headband really helps."

"Oh, no problem. I think Mei has an idea for some more gear for you too. We were talking about ways to help you direct your electricity, instead of just randomly shooting it out," Izuku said.

"That would be awesome!" Kaminari agreed as the bus pulled up. "I have a hard time not hurting other people still, but at least now I'm not making myself stupid."

"Er," added Kirishima with a grin, and dodged a punch from Kaminari.

They rode on the bus for a while. Mei ended up coming to sit by Izuku, though Shinso sat with Kirishima to chat. Ashido and Jiro sat behind Mei and Izuku, including them both in their conversation. Mei was mostly interested in making suggestions for gear for the two, and both Ashido and Jiro were genuinely interested.

"You really think you could extend how far I can use my jacks to hear?" Jiro asked excitedly.

Nodding eagerly, Mei explained, "Yes, and I bet we could use them for sonar as well! The trick will be to allow you to send out high frequency sound that no one else could pick up, then making a super cute baby that can read it and show you where things are! Izuku, do you think you could make the electronics for that?"

"Sure," Izuku agreed. "We just made that radar set for the Power Suit. It should be a similar concept, but using sound instead of radio waves. I think the manual I found explained how to rig both so it shouldn't be too hard to make a similar device."

"What about me?" Ashido asked eagerly. "Can you make something sweet for my acid?"

"Well, we already made you a gun and some grenades," Mei mused. "But I think we could make you a way to propel yourself better! You already have special shoes, right? Well, what if we could make it so you could spray the acid at high velocity to increase your speed!"

"That sounds super amazing!" Ashido cheered.

"Hey, do you think you could make anything for me, ribbit?" a green haired girl with large eyes asked. "I'm Tsuyu Asui, by the way, but call me Tsu."

"You're the frog, right?" Mei asked. "Don't worry, I won't eat you."

Izuku blushed and squeezed her hand, but Tsu just nodded. "Yep. That's me. I probably don't taste very good, but thanks anyway."

"I bet you could use a thermal underwire for your costume!" Mei said excitedly. "You're a poikilotherm, right?"

"A what now?" Kaminari asked, leaning over from his seat beside Tsu.

"It means I'm cold blooded," Tsu explained. "Sort of. I can regulate my own body temperature at least a little, but I have a hard time when it's hot and dry or very cold."

"Izuku can make one! He's good at thermoregulators, we had to make some for baby number 47, the Power Suit!" Mei stated.

"Yeah, I'd be happy to help," Izuku agreed.

Upon hearing that, half the class immediately had demands for their own gear, which made Mei absoluately ecstatic. Izuku was caught up in the discussion too, until about half an hour later when Mr. Aizawa stood up to make an announcement.

"We're coming to a rest area. Get out, and stretch your legs. We've still got aways to go."

"Everyone, make sure to use the restroom!" Iida called. "We don't want any unnecessary extra stops!"

"Yes, 'mom,"' Shinso answered, which got a laugh from most of the others, and made Iida blush.

"There is no shame in fulfilling one's duty! As class rep, it's my job to make sure everyone's needs are cared for!" Iida protested.

"Relax, I'll make sure to take a leak, Speedy," Shinso said, rolling his eyes.

Iida colored. "I am Tenya Iida, also known as Ingenium, and-"

"Speedy, huh?" Kirishima laughed as they filed off the bus. "I like it! What does that make me, Rocky?"

"Hey, where's the bathrooms?" Kaminari asked, looking around. They were stopped at a pull off along the highway, but there were no buildings and only a small stretch of dirt along the road overlooking a cliff. "It's just empty here. And who's this kid?"

A young boy in a ball cap and shorts stood by the bus, frowning as the students got off, but Izuku didn't recognize him from anywhere.

"He's my nephew!" a woman in a red sailor uniform with mechanical cat hears on her head said, stepping up behind the lone boy in question. "And we're your hosts!"

"Look on us with sparkling gazes!" another woman in similar dress that was colored blue with blonde hair said, smiling and striking a pose. "We've come to lend a paw and help!"

"Coming out of nowhere, strikingly cute and catlike, it's-"

"The Wild Wild Pussycats!" Izuku gasped. "They're mountain rescue heroes! They've famous! They've been around for 12 years!"

"Hey, don't steal our thunder kid!" the blonde woman, who Izuku now recognized as Pixie Bob, snapped. "And don't be giving away a ladies age like that!"

"He didn't say how old you are," Mei pointed out.

Pixie Bob huffed. "Well, yes, but-"

"But if you're been around for 12 years, that means you're at least 30!" Mei declared.

Pixie Bob's eye flashed. "Eraser, can I just get started now?"

"Sure," Mr. Aizawa said with a shrug. "They're all off the bus."

"What?" the class gasped.

"Oh no," Kirishima groaned. "Not another damned deception!"

"It was only logical," Aizawa said with a wicked grin.

"Bye bye kids! Have fun!" Pixie Bob laughed. She suddenly planted her hands on the ground, and Izuku felt himself swept off his feet, tumbling off the cliffside. In a panic, he grabbed onto Mei, clutching her to his chest and spinning so that he'd take the brunt of the impact when they hit the ground.

"Gotcha!" a girl gasped. Izuku felt to hand press onto him, and he suddenly found his fall slowing. He hit the ground, but bounced lightly into the air. "Release!"

Izuku thudded down again, letting out a gasp as Mei's weight pressed onto him.

"What the heck?" Mei grumbled, standing and dusting herself off. "That was rude!"

"Are you OK?" the other girl asked, extending a hand to Izuku. He gratefully took it and allowed her to haul him to his feet.

"Thanks," he gasped. "You're Uraraka, right? The Anti-Gravity user?"

"That's me!" she agreed, smiling. "You're Midoriya and Hatsume, right?"

"Yep! Now how do we get back to the bus?" Mei pondered. "They didn't let me pack the grappling hook, and-"

Suddenly, a crate appeared above them on the cliff.

"Look out below!" Pixie Bob called.

"Watch out!" Izuku gasped, pushing Uraraka and Mei out of the way. The crate smashed down a few feet from where they'd stood.

Overhead, Mr. Majima's head appeared. He grinned and waved. "You might need this, Midoriya! No cheating and coming back up to the highway!"

"What?" Izuku asked, confused.

But Mei was already beside the crate, cracking it open. She let out an enraged yell. "Mr. Maijima! How dare you just toss our baby over a cliff like that!"

"Less yelling at me, more focusing," Mr. Maijima called.

Mr. Aizawa appeared, holding a megaphone. "Attention, Class 1A and guests. You have three hours to make your way to the camp. It's west by north west from here, through the forest. Get there by noon, and you get lunch. If you're late, well, I hope you're not too hungry. Have fun."

"Have fun?" Shinso groaned, standing and dusting himself off. "What the hell is he-"

From the forest, there was a loud growl. A huge shape shifted amidst the trees.

"Mei, activate the suit!" Izuku cried. He scrambled over and began to load himself into it as Mei ran the startup sequence.

"Hurry!" Uraraka called. "Something's coming!"

"I got it!" Kirishima cried. "Kaminari, on me!"

"Yeah, yeah, relax Rocky," Kaminari grumbled. The two of them ran forward as a huge beast, seemingly carved from stone stalked out of the trees. It had the shape of a huge, misshapen bear, looking as though someone had carved it from rock, but had neglected any of the finer details. Kaminari let loose with a bolt of electricity as it got close, then Kirishimi wailed on it, breaking it down to dust.

"There's another one!" Uraraka cried. She ran over and touched what looked like a great stone wolf with both hands. It floated up into the air, and Uraraka backed off. Once it was 15 feet of the ground, she clapped her hands, and it fell, shattering to pieces.

"It's Pixie Bob!" Izuku called, standing as the Power Suit finished its boot up sequence. "She can use her quirk to control rock and dust."

"Izuku, I don't like this," Mei said, looking around nervously. "I don't like fighting! You're supposed to do the field testing."

"Don't worry, Hatsume!" Ashido said, running over. "We'll look out for you!"

"Yeah, looks like it's time to earn that sweet hardware," Jiro agreed, assuming a fighting stance.

"Everyone, group up!" Iida called. "I'll move head to scout. Let's move out!"

"You do whatever you want," Bakugo said, stalking off into the woods. "I'll look out for myself."

"Yeah have fun with that," Kirishima called. "Maybe you can find some little girls out there to beat up on!"

"If you do, let me know!" Mineta said eagerly. "I um, want to save them!"

"Right," Izuku activated his new radar module, then grimaced. "The trees here are packed too tightly. The range on my radar is limited. But I see movement, three big things, to the north."

"Let's head towards the camp," Tsu said. "That's the best way."

"I'll watch our flank," Izuku called, running off in the general direction of the movement. "I'll shout if I need help!"

After running a few yards, Izuku found himself catching up to Bakugo, who glared at him "What?"

"They're coming in, on your right!" Izuku shouted, forcing himself to stay polite.

"Whatever. I told you, I can look out for myself," Bakgu snapped. "You go hang out with your new friends."

"We have to work together, Bakugo. Otherwise, we'll never-"

Two giant dust monsters leapt out of the woods, one shaped like a gorrila, the other another bear. Bakugo sprang into sudden action, jumping forward propelled by his explosions. He flew towards the gorilla, and with a single blast blew off it's arm. A second blast flung it into the bear, causing both to crash to the ground. Bakugo lept atop them, and with a single massive explosion annihilated both, returning them to inanimate rubble.

"I said, I'm fine. Go worry about your girlfriend or whatever. I don't care," Bakgu snarled.

"Um, can you stay here on our forward flank, keep them off of the group?" Izuku asked.

Bakugo shrugged. "Whatever. If I see one, it won't get past me. You done bothering me, or you going to just stand there and talk?"

"I'll take the rear!" Izuku called.

"Wait!" Yaoyorozu called, hurring forward. She tossed Izuku a radio, and after a moment's hesitation gave one to Bakugo as well. "Use these to stay in touch! We can coordinate our defense! Iida's called in four more coming in from the west. Midioriya, can you guard the rear?"

"On it!" Izuku agreed. "What frequency? Give those to Mei, I have a built-in radio."

"Good thinking!" Yaoyorozu said. "Hatsume, can you coordinate us?"

"Yes!" Mei stated, taking the headset. "Ok, four from the north. Izuku! What's behind us?"

"I see two more. I can handle one, I might need backup," Izuku said.

"Ok! Blackbird, go help Izuku," Mei ordered.

"It's Tokoyami," the other boy said over the radio. "I've got your back, Midoriya."

"Right! I'll take the one on the right," Izuku said.

"The left is mine then," Tokoyami agreed.

Izuku rushed the dust monster, this one in the form of a giant spider that was swinging from tree to tree on a dusty line of webbing. It flung itself at him when he approached, but Izuku was able to dodge to the side. He activated his laser attachment, cutting a hole in the side of the spider, which shrieked in anger. Then he punched the opening, widening it, and grabbed at it with both hands. With a grunt and a whir of servos, Izuku ripped the spider in half. It fell to the ground, twitching, then dissolved back to dust.

Tokoyami's Dark Shadow battled a large dust bat for a moment, then overwhelmed the creature and slammed it into a tree trunk, destroying it.

"The rear is secure," Tokoyami radioed.

"Right! Blackbird, move up! Tape's to the north west, he's trapped another one but needs someone to help destroy it," Mei ordered.

"Yeah, um, I'm called Sero, by the way? And yeah, I need someone to finish this thing off."

"Three more from the West," Kirishima's voice called over the radio. "Todoroki's got two, I've got the other one. Kaminari's overloaded his capacitors. He needs to wait for it to cool off or whatever or he'll go even dumber on us."

"Sorry! I'll see if we can't make a release mechanism to let you reset them later," Izuku promised.

"Yeah, thanks man. At least I got three before I had to fall back," Kaminari said.

"Be quiet unless you have something to report! Kaminari, fall back to me!" Mei barked. "Bakugo, there's a lot of explosions, tell me what's happening!"

"I'm fine!" Bakugo snarled.

"No, you're a jerk. But how many are there?" Mei demanded

There was silence save for more explosions, then Bakugo growled. "Six."

"Right. Pinky, Ears, back Jerk up!" Mei ordered."Grape, Red, move to the west! Red, what's your quirk again?"

"Um, you mean me, right?" Akai's voice asked. "well, I can teleport anything up to twice my size up to a kilometer." Her voice was soft and hesitant, as if she wasn't sure she should be there.

"Good! You'll be our mobile reserve," Mei barked. "Pick up Creator and move her and the cannon forward!"

"Another in the rear," Izuku said. He opened his missile bay. "I'll hit it with an HE round!"

The missile flew into the snake-like monster, blowing it in half and destroying it. "It's down! But there's two more behind it!"

"Floaty, help him!" Mei ordered.

"Um, ok!" Uraraka agreed. "On it!"

And so it went, for hours and hours. Iida scouted ahead, while Todoroki, Kirishima, and a rotation of Sato and Izuku busted their way through the bulk of the dust monsters. Bakugo did a surprisingly good job of warding the left flank, while Yaomomo, Shoji and Oijiro guarded the right. Izuku and Tokoyami defended the rear, and the others with the help of Akai acted as a mobile reserve, moving to fight wherever the most dust monsters appeared.

By the end of it, even Izuku was only able to trudge forward, and Mei was only giving out terse commands such as "Tape, Grape, South! Creator, bombardment 60 degrees!" It was near sunset when they stumbled out of the woods, battered, bloodied, and exhausted.

"Is it over?" Shinso groaned. He hadn't been able to do much other than act as bait, as his quirk was near useless against mindless dust monsters. However, he'd still taken a few blows, and was just as beaten down as the rest of them. The only one who hadn't taken any hits was Mei, as she'd stayed in the middle and been protected, much to Izuku's relief.

"Oh, we've just begun," Aizawa chuckled, coming over to stand over his exhausted class.

"I can't believe we missed lunch," Sato groaned.

"Can it, Sweet Tooth. At least you got some snacks," Kirishima muttered. "Stupid food based quirks."

Sato sighed. "We're never going to live down the nicknames Hatsume gave us, are we?"

"I thought they were fitting," Pixie Bob laughed. She smiled at Mei, her grin predatory. "Have you learned your lesson about calling people old, dearie?"

"Probably not," Mei sighed. "I'm not very good with social skills."

"Hey lady, back off of her," Kirishima sighed, shaking his head. "She's, um, well, she's special. And she was helpful. Plus, Midoriya will blow you up or something if you're not nice."

"Ooo! One with spirit!" Pixie Bob chuckled, her hands reaching out towards Kirishima. "I like 'em young and spirited!"

"Down, girl," Mandalay ordered, coming up to stand beside her partner. "Well everyone, you actually did really well! It took you six hours to get through that! I would have bet eight! Pros can do it in three, of course, but you're still just kids."

"Which means good news, everyone! You still get dinner!" Pixie Bob said.

That brought a ragged cheer out of the group, but Mandalay wagged a finger at them. "This is the only night we'll be cooking for you! From now on, you'll have to make your own food! But for tonight we'll cut you a break!"

"Thank God, I thought we weren't going to get to eat," Ashido sighed.

"It was another logical deception," Aizawa explained.

Bakugo snorted. "Can we trust anything you say, old man?"

"Yeah, for once I agree with Jerk," Kirishima said, standing with a groan. "You keep lying to us teach and we won't know what to believe."

"Well, perhaps you can learn after all," Aizawa chuckled. "Now go eat. Your training has just begun."

Authors Note:

_The 20th student in 1A is Shatsu Akai. Don't worry, she'll be written out of the story as soon as she lives up to her name._

_On an unrelated note, happy birthday to me. Guess I'll be spending my birthday socially isolating. But that's OK, I have painkillers and bed rest for company. Thanks for all the well wishes, it's helped keep my spirits up while I convalesce. _

_The good news is, after some imaging, the doctors have told me that I'm not in danger right now and everything looks good, and it seems that for now, the episode is over. It's going to take me a few days to recover fully, but we should be back on schedule in regards to updates. I'll likely need to go in for more imaging and a possible surgery, but that's all on hold until the current crisis is over._


	21. The Cost of Manners

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_21\. The Cost of Manners_

_Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. _

― _Edmund Burke_

Dinner that night was a loud and noisy affair. Class 1B made it back not long after 1A did, and together they sat down to a buffet style meal with soup, rice, and a few protein options. Izuku happily loaded down his dish, and for once he didn't need to remind Mei to eat, as she eagerly snagged a plate of her own. They sat down together with their new companions, laughing and enjoying the food.

Once more, Izuku noticed that Bakugo was isolated. He walked off and sat by himself, his back to the others, seemingly unconcerned about being alone. When most everyone was done eating, to Izuku's surprise Bakugo silently walked over and started helping wash the dishes, despite no one being asked to do so. Mandaly actually told Bakugo he didn't need to help, but he simply ignored her, disappearing into the kitchen with a tray of dishes.

"What's up with Bakugo?" Izuku asked Kirishima.

The other boy looked up, confused. "What do you mean? He bothering you again? We'll take care of that if-"

"No, I mean, he's always by himself, and, well I've never seen him offer to clean up before," Izuku explained.

"Who cares," Kaminari said, letting out a loud belch. "He quit trying to hang out with us after Kirishima told him off."

"Well, I mean, it's more like we quit trying to hang out with him," Kirishima admitted. "I dunno, I thought he was kinda manly and all. But to find out he'd bully a quirkless kid and a disabled girl I-"

"Who'd he pick on that was disabled?" Mei demanded. "That jerk!"

Kirishima and Kaminari blinked at her. "Um, you," Karminari finally managed.

Mei suddenly went bright red, her hands clenched into fists. "I. Am not. Disabled," she growled. "I'm smarter than you are, fried brain." Mei suddenly stood and stalked away, muttering about checking on her babies.

Izuku froze, staring after her, feeling as though someone had just punched him in the gut. Was he going to be responsible for alienating Mei again?

"What's eating her?" Kaminari complained. "She is autstic or whatever, right?"

"Um, yeah man. But uh, maybe she doesn't like being called disabled?" Kirishima guessed. He suddenly let out a yelp as a loud smack resounded through the air. Kirishima's head wacked into the table, leaving a bunch of splintered wood as he'd involuntarily activated his quirk. Behind him, Ashido glared down, her yellow irises seeming to glow in her dark eyes.

"Of course she doesn't like being called disabled!" there was another smack, and Kaminari let out a squeal.

"What'd you do that for, Ashido?!" he snapped, glaring at her.

"That was me," Jiro said, examining her fingernails. "I figured you probably deserved it. Look, Mei might have gotten her ass kicked by Bakugo, but that's just cause fighting isn't her thing. She's an incredible support."

"I mean sure, but she's still disabled and stuff," Kirishima said with a shrug, learning a glare from Ashido.

"Come on, Midoriya! She's your girl! You've got to stand up for her! Do something!" Ashido lectured.

Izuku felt helpless, unsure of what to do or say. He wanted to help Mei, to make her feel better, but wasn't this his fault? He was the one who'd told the others about Mei's autism. He felt tears of frustration well up in his eyes. How could he stand up for Mei when he was the problem!

"Um, sorry if we crossed a line or something," Kirisima said, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't think, she'd you know, care. She's kinda strange. Ow! Knock it off Ashido!"

"Only if you stop being a moron," Ashido sniffed. As soon as Kirishima looked away, she winced and blew on her fingers, then shook out her hand.

"I, um, didn't realize she felt that way," Izuku said, getting to his feet and wiping at his eyes. He felt like everyone was staring at him, but he made himself move anyway. "Er, I guess I'll be back later."

"At least one of these boys isn't too stupid to see the nose on his face," Ashido sighed.

Jiro nodded. "The good ones are always taken."

That made Izuku blush, though when he glanced at Jiro he noticed a sly grin on her face. Was she teasing him? Izuku couldn't quite tell.

He found Mei where he expected to, working on the Power Suit. Unsure of what to say, he simply started helping, removing panels and checking damage. Mei was muttering to herself, mostly about technical readouts from the suit, but occasionally grumbling about "idiots" "fry brains" and "not disabled."

Suddenly, Mei put down her screwdriver and whirled on Izuku. "Do you think I'm disabled?" she demanded.

Izuku paused, unsure at first. He swallowed, then looked at Mei. "I don't know. Do you think I am?"

Mei blinked, then frowned. She looked back down at the screwdriver. She picked it up, and thrust it under Izuku's nose. "Is this disabled?!"

"N-no!" Izuku said, jerking back slightly.

"But it's bad at pounding nails!" Mei ranted, waving the screwdriver around. "It can't measure current or solder! So it must be disabled!"

"But it's for putting in screws," Izuku said, gently taking Mei's hands in his arms and pulling her close to him. "It's not supposed to do all those things."

"Yes," Mei agreed. Tears sprang up in her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with it. And there's nothing wrong with me. Or you. You're quirkless. I'm autistic. So what? You're a really great screwdriver. I'm a wrench. No, I'm a super cute arc welder. And you're a multimeter! It's not our fault they're all stupid ugly hammers." Mei really started to cry, hiccuping and sniffling. "I just...I wish sometimes I could pound nails too."

"I know," Izuku whispered, pulling Mei into a hug. "But I think I love you anyway. Even if you're an arc welder or a wrench."

Mei's head bobbed up and down on Izuku's shoulder. "And...and I love multimeters. I mean, I love you, Izuku. Hari said I should say that more. I think I said that already, but if I say it again I'll remember."

"And I'm sorry I said you were disabled," Izuku said.

Mei suddenly stiffened and pulled back, looking horrified. "You think I'm broken!?"

"No, no!" Izuku said hurriedly waving his hands. "Just...people always said...something was wrong with me. Because...because I'm different. So...so I guess I believed it. And...and when you were different too, I...I wanted you to be like me. So...so I thought we were both disabled."

Mei frowned and spun around, pacing away. Izuku raised a hand after her, then let it drop. He'd done it again. He'd ruined everything. Mei was going to leave him and hate him, just like Bakugo, just like his dad, just like-

Mei suddenly turned back around and stalked back to Izuku, poking him hard in the chest. "We're not disabled," she snarled. "We're an arc welder and a multimeter. There's nothing wrong with us! We're just different, OK? And that's alright! I thought something was wrong with me too! Until...until you came! And you never made fun of me or told me I was bad or said I should be different or anything! So you can't...you can't think I'm disabled! Or you're disabled! You understand me? I don't have the right words! Argh! All these words, and I can't-"

Mei spun around and picked up her own welder. She lit it up, and began to weld on a patch where the Power Suit had been damaged.

After a moment, Izuku started to work alongside Mei. They did that for about an hour, patching or replacing the various parts damaged in the long journey to the camp. At last, Mei put her tools away. She turned to Izuku. "Do you understand?"

"I think so," Izuku said, coming to stand beside Mei. "Just...know that I believe in you, Mei. That you can do whatever you set your mind to. You can create any super cute baby you want. And...and I do love you. Ok? Even...even if I'm dumb, or I hurt you sometimes. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Mei nodded. "You do understand. I think I forgive you. It still hurts though. Hari...Hari said that sometimes loving someone hurts. I didn't know what she meant. I think...I think maybe I'm learning."

"Hari's pretty smart," Izuku agreed.

"Yes. Sometimes, I think she's smarter than me."

"No one's smarter than you Mei. And...and I think you're really pretty too. And...and cuter than the power suit."

Mei turned to him, her usual grin back on her face. "That was a very good thing to say. I am going to kiss you now."

Izuku was ready when Mei just about pounced on him. He didn't really think he understood her, he realized as their lips met. But that was OK. He did love her, even if he was bad at it sometimes.

After a few minutes, even Mei's boundless enthusiasm faded after the arduous day they had. They made their way back to the eating area, where Pixie Bob told them about the steam baths.

"You two look like you could use a bath too. Head on over. Boys on the left, girls on the right."

"Yes, I will remember," Mei said firmly. "I won't get mixed up again. I am working hard on my social skills. Izuku doesn't like it when I forget."

Pixie Bob gave Mei an odd look, but shrugged. "Honey, if I thought I could take a bath with my boyfriend, I might just try. Because I'm still 18 at heart! But don't even think of that here. Ragdoll has her eye on all of you, so to speak. Don't worry, she won't peak."

Izuku and Mei made their way over to the bathhouse, parting ways at the entrance. Izuku grabbed a towel, then headed out, gratefully sinking into the warm waters and letting out a sigh.

"Everything OK with Hatsume, man?" Kirishima asked, sounding worried. "Sorry if we screwed things up for you."

"No, I think maybe I did that on my own," Izuku sighed. "But Mei's pretty amazing. And...and I'm sorry I called her disabled. That's… well, a lot of people used to treat me like I was, so...so I guess I just thought of myself that way."

"Gee, wonder which asshole that was," Kaminari muttered.

Shinso opened one eye, glaring at the other boy. "Give it a rest. He's self flagellating enough as it is."

"Yeah, he is a flagellate," Kaminari agreed.

Kirishima groaned. "You have no idea what that is, do you?"

"It means a jerk, right?" Kaminari said. When Kirishima snorted, Kaminari repeated himself. "Right?"

"You are so dumb sometimes," Kirishima chuckled.

"Well what's it mean then?" Kaminari demanded. "Hey, Iida, what's a flagellate?"

"I'm not getting involved," Iida said with a sigh, lowering himself further into the heated pool. "Look it up on your own later. It would do you good to improve your vocabulary."

Silently, Shinso got up, climbing out of the large pool most of them were relaxing in. He walked over to where Bakugo was sitting alone, lowering himself into the pool.

"What do you want?" Bakugo growled.

"Nothing," Shinso said, letting out a contented sigh and closing his eyes. "It was just too noisy over there.

"Hmph. Aren't you one of Midoriya's buddys? You gonna talk smack too?" Bakugo demanded.

Shinso opened one eye. "Only if you don't shut up and let me relax."

A slow smirk spread over Bakugo's face. "Whatever. Suit yourself. I'm not moving."

Shinso just grunted, laying back in the water.

Izuku studied the two of them for a moment, thinking. He looked away when Bakugo frowned and cracked open one eye, glaring at him, and quickly looked away.

"Um, so Koda, that was pretty cool, how you could use the birds to blind the dust monsters and stuff. I, um, I hope none of them got hurt."

The quiet boy smiled at Izuku, then shook his head and then gave a thumbs up.

"They're all alright? That's good," Izuku said, feeling a bit relieved. "I'd feel bad if one of your friends got hurt saving us."

Koda smiled more widely, then bowed slightly to Izuku. Then he lowered himself into the bath, letting out a sigh.

"He doesn't say much," Kirishima observed. "I can respect that in a man. The strong, silent type."

"Perhaps you should emulate him," Tokoyami muttered.

"Yeah! Shut up!" Dark Shadow squawked.

"I cannot believe any of you," Mineta declared, suddenly standing up.

"What now?" Sero asked with a groan. "Please tell me you're not about to do something perverted and dumb."

"Well, then I won't tell you," Mineta said, standing and waddling over to the fence that separated the two halves of the bath house.

"Mineta…" Iida said, looking up with a worried expression. "What are you-"

"Think! There's girls on the other side! Midoriya! What would you do to see Hatsume naked?"

Izuku blinked. "What?"

"She's your girlfriend, right? Tell us, what does she look like?" Mineta pressed his face against the fence. "She's got all those curves, but she looks kinda muscled too. Oh, just to think of her, and the other ladies, and their young, nubile bodies!"

"Mineta!" Iida snapped, standing. "Don't you dare!"

"I can't take it anymore! It's the duty of every real man! I have to see!" Mineta cried. He reached up to start to climb.

Izuku wasn't quite sure how he did it later, but he did know why. For a moment, all he saw was red. The next thing he knew, he'd lept out of the pool, slamming his fist into Mineta's face, just as he used his sticky balls to begin to climb the fence. The other boy sailed across the baths, falling with a splash into the pool where Bakugo and Shinso were sitting.

Shinso opened one eye, a disgusted look on his face. "Looks like a turd fell in our water."

"He's out cold," Bakugo observed. He fished Mineta out with one hand, holding the smaller boy out of the water. He glanced at Izuku. "Nice hit." Then he rapidly shook Mineta, until the other boy coughed and spluttered.

"What happened? Where am I? Did I die and go to heaven! I'm injured! Let me see the boobies!"

"You are a freak," Bakugo muttered. He climbed out of the pool, still holding the struggling Mineta with one hand. "Come on. We're gonna have a little chat."

"Yes! Finally! Someone understands!" Mineta cried. "Come on Bakugo, with your strength and my perverted instincts, we can-"

"You know, I think you're actually the only person I could beat the living hell out of in this class and everyone would cheer me on," Bakugo observed as he walked toward the exit, dragging Mineta with him.

"Need some help?" Shinso called at the same time that Iida cried, "Bakugo! Don't you dare!"

"Relax. It was a damned joke," Bakugo muttered. "I actually am going to talk to the horny little bastard. So cool your jets, rocket legs. Go back to your relaxing or whatever. Now your two least favorite people won't be around to bother you."

Shinso climbed out as well, silently following after Bakugo.

"I didn't ask you to come," Bakugo snarled as he exited.

"I don't remember asking if I could," Shinso stated dryly.

"You're the one who wants my spot. Maybe you'll get it if you make nice," Bakugo snapped, whirling around to glare at Shinso. Mineta babbled and wept, apparently terrified.

"I'm not very good at that," Shinso said with a shrug. "Besides, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Maybe I wanted to see some boobies too, and need a lecture."

"Dumbass. We ALL wanted to see naked boobies," Bakugo snarled. He suddenly paused, then glanced at Aoyama, who had his hair up in a towel and was rubbing some sort of weird green dirt into his face. "Um, except maybe him. But that's what I'm going to explain to this idiot! So unless you want to hear a stupid ass rant, stay back!"

"Nah. That sounds more interesting," Shinso said.

Bakugo growled, but turned around. "Fine. Maybe you can talk some sense into him. I suck at that."

Izkuku blinked, watching as the three boys left, Mineta pleading for mercy.

"Hey, Shinso's cool, right?" Kaminari asked worriedly. "He wouldn't like, help Bakugo hide the body?"

"Um, no. But...but I don't think Bakugo would kill Mineta either. And if he did, well, hiding the body isn't what he would do," Izuku said. He quickly shook his head. "I mean, no! Bakugo wouldn't kill someone! He...well, I don't know. But Shinso wouldn't."

"The teachers are watching," Iida said sounding worried. "They wouldn't...well, they'll keep an eye on things."

"Um, yeah," Izuku agreed. But he sat there and thought. What was going on with Bakugo?

After the bath, they all made their way to the boy's cabin, where they all slept on mats scattered throughout the room. Before bed, Izuku went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, where he found Shinso completing his own toiletries.

"Hey," Shinso said, nodding as Izuku came in.

"Um, hey," Izuku said. He paused, his toothbrush and toothpaste in hand, then looked up at Shinso. "Thanks...thanks for being kind to Bakugo."

Shinso frowned, looking at his own reflection in the mirror. "He reminds me of myself."

"R-really?" Izuku asked, startled.

Shinso nodded. "He's mad at the whole world, and the world seems to hate him right back. I think he got a taste of his own medicine, and realized it was a bitter pill to have to swallow."

"W-what do you mean?" Izuku asked, stepping closer to carefully put an exactly pea sized drop of toothpaste onto his brush.

Shinso glanced at Izuku, frowning. "What, you couldn't tell?"

"Um, no?" Izuku guessed.

"He's been ostracized," Shinso stated. "By the entire class."

"W-what? But, Bakugo was always popular! He's strong, and talented and-"

Shinso shook his head, and Izuku fell silent. Shinso pointed towards the bedroom. "Izuku, everyone in that room is strong, and talented, and smart, and whatever else you were going to say about Bakugo. The difference is, they also know how to be nice to people and not act like a complete asshole."

"Y-yeah, but-"

"Did you notice how they treated you?" Shinso demanded, turning to stare into Izuku's eyes. "Have any of them ever been cruel to you? And I don't mean poked fun at you, or been sarcastic or whatever. I mean really tried to hurt you. Especially for being quirkless, or even beating them in the Sports Festival."

"Um, no. Everyone's...everyone's been really great," Izuku admitted. "They know...they know I'm quirkless, but...but it's like they don't care."

"Because they don't. They know what they are. And they're comfortable with it. They all want to be heroes. And for most of them, that means being a decent goddamn human being too," Shinso explained. "Hell, they don't even treat me like a freak because I can take control of their minds. They figure, they're good people, and I must be a good person too because I say I want to be a hero."

Izuku blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah. It's almost painful. Bakugo's the only one of them I really get." Shinso looked back in the mirror, letting out a heavy sigh. "Hell. Bakugo's the only one who treats me in a way that feels normal."

"Shinso...you know you're my friend, right?" Izuku asked, feeling confused and a bit unsure.

Shinso smiled, then looked at Izuku. He nodded. "Yeah. Hell if I know why. And, well, don't think that just because I'm hanging out with Bakugo means I hate you. You're my friend too, Izuku."

"Yeah. Once...once Bakugo and I were friends. I don't...maybe we could be, again, but it would be hard. And we aren't friends now. But...but I would be happy if he did have a friend."

"Hell, Izuku. Sometimes you make me wonder if you're even real," Shinso said, shaking his head.

"Huh?" Izuku was totally lost now, completely confused.

"And they say Mei's the one with no social skills," Shinso chuckled. He patted Izuku on the shoulder, then walked away. "Don't change, Izuku. The world needs more people like you, and less like me and Bakugo. Otherwise, we'd never realize we could be different."

That left Izuku confused, but he was too tired to think straight. He brushed his teeth, finished his toilet, then went back and laid down, exhausted. In moments, he was drifting off to sleep. Surrounded, he realized, for perhaps the first time in his life, by a group of people that actually liked him.


	22. Deep Breath

22\. Deep Breath

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

\- King David (Psalm 27, Traditionally attributed)

The next morning, Izuku and the others rose with the sun. They were sore and many had to rub sleep from their eyes, but the hero hopefuls faced the new day with determination and vigor. It felt odd to Izuku, being around so many people who simply got up and began exercise routines. Every single one of the boys seemed to roll out of bed and begin doing push ups, situps, stretches, or martial arts katas, either in the bedroom or just outside the building, where some of the girls were doing the same thing. Izuku did his own exercises, silently counting out the pushups and situps.

"Tuesday. I wonder if there are weights?" Izuku muttered to himself as he finished his squats. "How am I going to do my curls and bench presses?"

"Ha! Sounds like someone else is doing The Hero!" Kirishima laughed, doing his own set of crunches. "I got a couple small barbells in my bag."

"I have weights as well," Shoji said, pulling out a few concrete blocks with handles in them. "You can borrow mine when I am finished."

"Um, thanks, I didn't think to pack mine," Izuku admitted. "It's OK though, I did bring my jumprope. I'll just do that and jumping jacks."

"Improvise, adapt, overcome," Ojiro grunted in agreement. He was doing pull ups on one of the ceiling beams. "My dad says that. Grandpa was an American Marine."

"Good advice," Iida said, finishing a set of stretches. "I'm going for a morning run. Make sure everyone's ready for breakfast."

Kaminari laughed as he ran through a martial arts kata "I don't think that'll be a problem. If you're all half as hungry as me you could eat a house."

"Most people just say horse, man. Only termites eat houses," Kirishima chuckled as he began his reps with the barbells.

After he finished his own exercises, Izuku hesitantly knocked on the girls door. "Um, Mei, are you up?"

The door opened, and what appeared to be an empty blouse and gym shorts with a sweatband hovering over them stood there. "Mei left already! Said she had to check on her babies," Hagakure said. "Morning, Midoriya!"

"Oh, um, thanks, Hagakure" Izuku said. "I'll go check on her."

Izuku jogged over to the workshop, finding Mei already hard at work on refurbishing the Power Suit. "Hey Izuku!" she called, waving. "Help me finish! Just a little more and this should be ready for your training today!"

"Right!" Izuku quickly helped Mei assemble the last of the repairs, then they left for breakfast.

"About time you showed up," Bakugo grumbled, crouching over a gas stove. He snapped his fingers, making a spark and lighting it. "Either of you know anything about cooking?"

"Yes. I know I am very bad at it!" Mei declared.

Bakugo frowned, then shrugged. "Fine. Go fill those up with water." He pointed to several pots. "Midoriya, I know you won't poison everyone at least. Figure out how to be useful. I'm not bossing you around."

"Um, OK," Izuku agreed. He went over and started cracking eggs into a bowl for cooking. Bakugo took water from Mei and started washing rice. A few minutes later the others began showing up, some aiding in preparing the food, others wiping down tables as Iida directed them. Bakugo fell silent, only grunting when told to do something or elbowing his way in to complete some task he thought needed to be done.

Mei, for her part, stayed out of everyone's way once the simple preparation was done. No one seemed upset or questioned her, simply accepting she was doing her best to contribute. Which, in Izuku's opinion, was true, because she wasn't trying to cook anything.

Breakfast was a scattered affair, with the only constant factor being that Bakugo had created enough rice for a small army so there was plenty for all. It was a scramble for eggs, meat, milk, cereal, or whatever else there was to hand. Still, everyone got to eat, and Mei happily led the charge in cleaning up. She frowned when Bakugo came to help her, but after a glance at Izuku who just shrugged, she limited herself to grumbling half under her breath.

After breakfast, it was time for the serious work. Mr. Maijima turned up, grinning widely. "Alright Mei, ready to get to work? I hear you have some ideas for support gear."

"You bet! I think we should start with acid jet boots for Ashido! I think we're going to need to create an acid resistant polymer, then-"

"Midoriya." Izuku turned to see Mr. Aizawa looking at him. "Your suit ready?"

"Yes sir!" Izuku agreed eagerly. "Um, what do you want me to do with it?"

Aizawa shrugged. "Figure out new and creative ways to break it. Find out what the limits of what you can do are, and then work out what you need to do to go past them. That's your own personal quirk, for all intents and purposes."

"Um, I don't think Mei would appreciate me breaking the Power Suit again so soon," Izuku said with a wince.

Aizawa skewered Izuku with a glare. "And what about the villains you face? You think they won't break that hunk of junk if you ask nicely?"

Izuku swallowed nervously. "Um, no sir. I'll do it. But, um, how?"

"Well. I'm glad you asked. You get to be target practice. For everyone."

A short time later, Izuku stood across from Kirishima, who was grinning widely. "Hell yeah! Rematch time! This time, I ain't going down so easy, Midoriya! You're gonna get pummeled!"

"Bring it on!" Izuku said, falling into a fighting stance.

With a roar, Kirishima activated his quirk, then charged Izuku, attempting to body slam the Power Suit to the ground. Instead, Izuku managed to grapple with Kirishima. He'd been instructed not to use any special gear, to simply test the physical limits of the Suit's ability to inflict and absorb damage. He and Kirshima battered at one another, blow after blow bouncing off them. Kirishima's quirk made inflicting damage with mere punches a real challenge, and Izuku put everything he had into his blows. Kirishima didn't simply stand there and take it, however, blocking and counter punching, dodging and weaving, grappling and pounding at Izuku.

After about 10 minutes, Izuku was winded, but Kirishima groaned and sank to his knees. "I can't...I can't keep my quirk on. I give." With a gasp, his quirk deactivated, and Izuku saw just how battered and bruised the other boy was.

"Um, sorry," Izuku said, feeling guilty. He was a bit rattled and had a few bruises from the sheer force of Kirishima's blows, but the suit had special gel padding and shock absorbers to protect him. Once he caught his breath, he'd be good to go.

"At least tell me...I did some damage," Kirishima panted.

Izuku checked his readouts, and nodded. "Yeah. The armor plating's pretty beat up. A couple internal systems have minor damage, and my left arm servos are grinding and freezing up a bit."

"Oh, great. So, basically, I scratched the paint on that thing," Kirshima groaned.

"No, no! You did great! It's just, well, um, we sort of took your sort of quirk into account, going into the sports festival. You and, um-"

"ME!" A new challenger approached, gleaming steel in the morning sunlight. "You might have beat rock, but now you face metal! It's time for Tetsutetsu of 1B's revenge!"

"Tetsutetsu is up next!" Kan barked. "Begin!"

Izuku barely had time to catch his breath before it started all over again. He fought furiously, trying to dodge Tetsutetsu's blows and knock the other boy down, but like with Kirishima, it was simply a straightforward brawl. Tetsutetsu, seeing a weakness, battered mostly at Izuku's left side. Finally, the left arm gave out, the metal screaming in protest as warning lights blared, and Tetsutetsu punched the joint so hard the arm bent and froze up. This time, after 8 minutes, it was Izuku who had to give up.

"Stop!" Kan roared. He nodded with approval. "Looks like this is a win for Class 1B!"

"I don't...I don't know about that, sir," Tetsutetsu groaned. He deactivated his own quirk, then slumped over. Izuku was shocked to see him bleeding from his split lip, and his right eye was swelling up. "I think...I think if he kept that up, I'd be toast. Damn, Kirishima. I thought I was finally harder than you."

Izuku glanced at his panel, then paled. "Um, not exactly. I er, um, well, the limiter got damaged. It was offline. I was hitting you full force."

Tetsutetsu laughed. "Ha! I knew it! I am...I am the..hardest…" then he slumped over, passing out.

"Damn," Kan muttered. "Well, let's get the two of you fixed up. Midoriya, go to the workshop and get that thing fixed. Todoroki's up next. Time for him to see how hot he can make his flames. You did put on heat shielding, right?"

"Um, yes," Izuku admitted. "But er, well, we haven't field tested it yet so-"

"Then this is the perfect time! Get going!" Kan ordered.

Mei was, to Izuku's surprise, not the least bit mad.

"I got all the data!" she declared. "I have half a dozen ways to improve our baby! Now get out, and let's make sure you show everyone how cute it is!"

"Er, I'm stuck," Izuku said after trying and failing to get out. "Looks like the mechanism was damaged."

"Well now, looks like we'll have to cut you out then," Mr. Majima said, reaching for a laser cutter. "Time for you kids to watch an old dog teach you a few tricks."

Izuku never got to face Todorioki that day. He and Mei worked for the rest of the morning on the suit, which had suffered a lot of damage all over it from the thorough pounding from both Tetsutetsu and Kirishima. After lunch, Mr. Aizawa had Izuku face Ojiro, Shoji, and Shinso in a martial arts duel under the supervision of Tiger, another member of the Pussycats. Shoji utterly dominated Iuzku, and he was only able to take one match in three against Ojiro. He secretly thought it was because the other boy took pity on him. Izuku was physically strong, but he'd never seriously practiced hand to hand combat.

"Man, I feel a bit bad," Ojiro said, helping Izuku back up. "Shouldn't we wait for your suit to be fixed? I'd feel like this was a lot more fair then."

"No, I need to...need to be able to...fight without...without the suit," Izuku panted. "Again."

Unlike Izuku, Shinso was able to keep up with Ojiro, and even won a few matches against Shoji, in large part due to his new skill with the capture weapon. However, Shinso became frustrated after a few hours thanks to how utterly useless his quirk was against an informed opponent.

"None of you will even talk to me anymore!" Shinso ranted after another loss against Shoji. While he could occasionally manage to wrap the other boy up, his tentacle arm's adaptability made that a dicey prospect at best.

"It's because they're not idiots," Tiger growled. "You're going to face down villains that know how you are from time to time. What's your plan then? You just giving up like you did in the Sports Festival?"

"No," Shinso snapped. "I just...I can't win this!"

Tiger nodded. "You're right. You can't. Learning when you can't win is important. Sometimes, that means you need to retreat, or stall for back up. Other times, something too valuable to wait is on the line. Then you have to decide: Is it worth it to fight, knowing you'll lose?"

Shinso considered that. "I suppose, if an innocent person's life is on the line, it might be worth it."

"Good answer. You've had enough for now. Go find Aizawa. You're going to practice controlling multiple people at once."

"I can manage four or five at a time now," Shinso said, rubbing his chin. "You think I can do more?"

"I think you're just starting off," Tiger told him. "Think of yourself as a kitten who's just learned it has sharp claws. Until you sharpen them and grow up a little, you'll never know just what you can do."

"I'll help," Izuku offered. He had been sidelined after a particularly nasty blow had blackened his eye, and was watching with a cold pack pressed to his face.

"You sure?" Shinso asked.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I mean, you've never-"

The next thing Izuku knew, it was evening. He blinked, looking around, confused. "What...what happened?"

"What do you think?" Bakugo snapped. He bent over a prone body, and with a start Izuku realized it was Shinso

"Hey, wake up. Turns out, six's your max. Come on! Quit laying around, we have to go get dinner ready!" Bakugo barked, shaking Shinso roughly

Groaning, Shinso sat up. He wiped blood from his nose and shook his head slightly. "I...I tried to make it seven, but-"

"Well you did six for a bit. And you finally lost control of Midoriya," Bakugo said. To Izuku's surprise, he offered Shinso a hand, and hauled the other boy to his feet. "I guess that's not bad or whatever. You're not as pathetic as you look."

"I'll take that as a compliment since I'm pretty sure I look like hell," Shinso muttered. He glanced at Izuku and smiled. "Hey, thanks for the help. I kept you under control for what, three hours or so?"

"How the hell should I know?" Bakugo demanded. "Quit chatting and let's go!"

Izuku glanced around, seeing Uraraka, Mineta, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, and Sato looking dazed as well.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad I helped, I guess?" Izuku said.

"You did," Shinso said. He bowed to the others. "Thank you all. No one, well, no one's ever been as kind to me as you have."

"Hey, no sweat!" Uraraka said with a smile. "I was too sick to keep trying to use my quirk anyway. Ugh, dinner doesn't even sound good right now. I always get nauseous when I overuse my quirk but today was awful…"

"This camp hasn't been any fun at all!" Mineta complained. He glared at Izuku. "Thanks to some people."

"Hey, moron! What did I talk to you about?" Bakugo snapped, coming over to loom above Mineta. "You need a more personal lesson?!" 

"N-no! I, um, I'll be more 'pleasant,'" Mineta assured Bakugo. He walked away, and Izuku heard him mutter. "Geeze, take your own advice, will you? Not like anyone likes you either…"

"Hey, thanks by the way," Yaoyorozu told Izuku. "We heard about what Mineta tried to do last night."

"Yeah, I bet Mei appreciated having a boyfriend so willing to defend her honor!" Uraraka said, punching the air aggressively.

Bakugo snorted and moved away as well, separating himself from the group, but Uraraka suddenly ran after him. "And Bakugo! Thanks for talking to Mineta. That was noble of you. I'm glad some of the boys have a sense of honor."

"I just can't stand scum," Bakugo growled. "Mineta makes us all look bad. I should have kicked his ass to teach him a lesson."

"You hold, I'll punch!" Uraraka laughed. She smiled brightly, nodding to Bakugo. "Hey, want to sit with me and Iida for dinner? You're always by yourself, maybe it would be nice to hang out, get to know you better. You've changed the last few weeks, and I think we don't appreciate it enough."

Bakugo froze, and his eyes darted to Shinso, who gave him a thumbs up. Bakugo swallowed. "I...thanks. Um, I...look, I'm not changing for you! I just...I'm going to be a hero, who always wins! And, well, someone told me there was more to being a hero than being strong. But I'm not weak, you understand me?!"

"Um, I didn't say you were?" Uraraka said, looking confused and slightly offended. "What, do you think I'm weak or something?"

"I didn't say that," Bakugo hissed. He suddenly tensed, his teeth audibly grinding. "Look, you better not pity me. I know what you all think about me. You don't have to make yourself sit with me, Uraraka. I know Iida hates my guts."

"Ok. But, Bakugo? I don't pity you. I just think you need to chill out some more," Uraka said, walking away. "Invitations open! And Iida doesn't hate you. Neither do I."

The others left, including Shinso, who had to be helped along by Uraraka and Yaoyorozu. Izuku stood there awkwardly for a moment, Bakugo a few feet away.

"Hey."

Izuku looked over to see Bakugo looking at him, Bakugo's jaw working. "I'm...sorry."

For a moment, Izuku didn't think he'd heard right. He could only blink rapidly at Bakugo, unsure of what he was hearing.

"I'm not repeating myself. And to be clear, I'm not sorry about beating Hatsume at the Sports Festival. She broke my damn nose, you overprotective- look, this is just about when we were kids." With that, Bakugo turned away, apparently done talking.

Izuku took a step forward, unsure of what to do or say. "Bakugo! I mean, Kacchan, I-"

Bakugo spun, anger flashing in his eyes. "Don't call me that! I'm not-" Bakugo took a sudden breath, and seemed to hold it, grinding his teeth for a second. Then he breathed out. "Don't call me that. Unless you want me to go back to calling you Deku or whatever."

"No," Izuku admitted. "And...and I guess we're not really friends, now."

"No. We're not." Bakugo looked away. "That's on me."

With that, Bakugo left, and after a short time, Izuku followed after him, not sure of what to make of that. At dinner, Bakugo was his usual snappish self, though he did sit down at a table near Uraraka and Iida. He never spoke, his eyes on his food the entire time, but Uraraka and Iida made friendly motions in his general direction from what Izuku could see.

However, most of Izuku's attention was diverted to Mei, as they went over the various upgrades and repairs they had planned.

"Sorry I didn't get to your babies today!" Mei told Jiro and Ashido. "Izuku really put our baby to the test! I hear you got smashed, Kirishima!"

"Yeah," Kirishima admitted, looking abashed. "Guess my quirk couldn't stand up to him."

"Ha! That's because we used your quirk specifically to set the parameters for the suit's performance capability!" Mei laughed

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, after our fight in the Sports Festival, Mei and I realized sometimes I couldn't pull off tricks like the one I used to beat you. So, we upgraded the suit's armor and shock absorbers to be able to go toe to toe with someone with a quirk as strong as yours."

"But, I mean, Tetsutetsu beat you," Kirishima said, shaking his head.

"Only because you softened me up," Izuku pointed out. "And my limiters were disabled for most of his fight. That puts a huge strain on the suit. If anything, the suit simply wore itself out."

"But don't worry, we'll upgrade our baby to be even cuter and more amazing!" Mei promised.

"Yeah. Wish I could get upgraded," Kirishima muttered.

"Hey man, relax! That's what the training today was about!" Kaminari said, slapping Kirishima on the back. "Your quirk is already improving. I bet next time you'll have Midoriya quaking in his boots."

"Yeah, yeah that's right!" Kirishima agreed. He grinned at Izuku, showing off his pointed teeth. "I won't stop training, Midioriya! If you want to stay ahead of me, you'll have to work your quirk hard! That's a man's promise!"

"Yeah. We'll keep working hard too," Izuku agreed. "But remember, it's not just me, Kirishima. Mei's a big reason why I can keep up with you at all. You were born with a great quirk. I had to have some help to make my own dreams of being a hero real."

Kirishima blushed. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I forget sometimes, that, you're, well-"

"It's OK," Izuku said with a smile. "You treat me like everyone else. That's what Mei and I both want. To not be looked down on."

"Who's stupid enough to look down on Mei?" Ashido asked, glaring at Kirishima and Kaminari. "I mean, she could probably fry them with some sort of death laser if they even tried."

"A lot of people," Mei said with a shrug. "Maybe I should join the hero course too. The fighting and stuff is boring but the people are a lot nicer." She glanced over at Bakugo, who was quietly collecting plates from those who had finished. "Even he's much nicer. Good job on the social skills, Bakugo! Social groups help, don't they?"

Bakugo went deep red. "Shut your damn mouth!" he snarled. He stalked past Mei, clearly furious. "You can carry your own plate!" He practically ripped Izuku's dirty plate out of his hands though, and stomped off to the kitchen.

"Hey, has anyone noticed Bakugo's acting all weird lately?" Kaminari commented. "Like, he still behaves as though he's pissed off about everything, but...nicer? I don't know."

"Maybe he's turning into a real man," Kirishima said with a shrug. "At least he didn't beat up any defenseless girls or little kids recently."

"Too bad. Maybe Mineta would have gotten some sense knocked into him," Jiro muttered.

"Well, I suppose we'd better get started on the suit," Izuku said with a sigh, standing. "We need to get it fixed up for tomorrow."

"Ah man, they're going to do a Test of Courage tonight!" Kirishima protested. "You have got to come!"

"That sounds boring," Mei said. "Izuku's already got courage and I don't want any."

"We really do have to get it fixed up," Izuku said. "Sorry! Maybe tomorrow."

"What about you, Shinso, you coming?" Kirishima demanded. "Kaminari failed, so I won't have anyone to hang out with while he's in study groups!"

Shinso shrugged. "Sure. It'll be funny to watch yourself wet yourself. I'll bring some spare undies for you."

Kirishima laughed at that, and everyone stood to begin with the clean up. Izuku and Mei left for the workshop, where Mr. Maijima was already waiting for them.

"Finished with dinner?" he asked.

"Yeah, Mei says we're almost done?" Izuku asked.

"Yes! I made lots of upgrades, but I want you to double check the electrical system I jury rigged," Mei said. "Your wiring is always cuter than mine."

"You should take a break in a bit," Mr. Maijima advised. "They're going to have some fun and games this evening."

"It doesn't sound fun to me," Mei grumped. "Let's just work on making more babies for our friends."

"I think I'd honestly rather stay here," Izuku admitted. "I, um, well, I sort of get scared easily, and...and I don't think I could do it without Mei there."

"Why? You fought all day without me," Mei said, looking perplexed. "Do you need me to collect data?"

"No, I just...I feel better when you're there," Izuku admitted. "And, well, when there's real danger, it's different. Trying to scare myself...I don't enjoy it."

"Suit yourselves," Mr. Maijima said with a shrug. "But I'm going to play a few pranks myself. It'll be nice to blow off some steam. Just don't blow this place up while I'm gone, Pixie Bob would kill me."

"Mr. Maijima! We haven't blown anything up since school ended!" Mei protested.

"I know. Because I haven't let you into my workshop. It was kind of nice."

With Mr. Maijima gone, Izuku started to examine the wiring as Mei welded on some upgraded armor plates. Mei did a good job as usual, but Izuku saw a few ways to improve it and set to work. It was relaxing, working on the suit with Mei again. Izuku let out a contented sigh. Summer camp really was pretty fun.


	23. Born of Battle, Born of Blood

_This document Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_23: Born of Battle, Born of Blood_

_Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans._

_-Homer, The Iliad_

Bakugo stalked off alone after dinner, still angry. The others were going to do that stupid test of courage. Well, he wasn't going to play their silly games. No damn point. He wasn't scared of dumbass tricks or weird noises. And he was still too pissed off about Hatsume to be around anyone anyway.

_"Sometimes getting away from everyone can help you blow off some steam, ruff. Exercise is good too. Bark! If you get so mad you can't think straight, get alone, and literally explode, Katsuki."_

"Oh screw you, Ryo," Bakugo muttered to himself. He ground his teeth, shoving his hands in his pockets. He found himself hearing Mr. Inui, better known as Hound Dog, in his head whenever he was getting cheesed off.

He thought back to dinner. Sitting with Uraraka. Bakugo would have died if anyone had realized it, but he thought she was kind of hot. Especially after her time with Gunhead. She'd gotten pretty ripped, and she had kicked his ass in that hand to hand fight in their last training session before school ended. Sure, losing had pissed him off, but he'd never met a girl who was actually decent in a fight before. Well, except maybe the rest of his classmates. Most of them weren't complete losers.

"But that damn brownnoser Iida was there as well," Bakugo muttered. Girls would go for the straight laced nerdy type. Midoriya! Weak, worthless Midoriya had a girlfriend, the quirkless loser who-

Bakugo stopped, putting his hands to his head, gritting his teeth. "I'm strong," he whispered to himself. "I'm stronger than my anger. I don't need to put others down to make myself strong. I make myself strong by making others stronger too. To be strong, you have to test yourself. Losing doesn't mean you're weak, it means you can still get stronger. Winners are not born, winners are made."

Things had gone downhill so fast after the Sports Festival. First, Iida had lectured Bakugo, in front of half the class, about beating up disabled people and discrimination. He could have tried to explain that he'd beaten Mei bloody not because she was autistic or whatever but because she canceled his quirk and broke his damn nose, and that he hated Izuku for looking down on him, not for being quirkless, but what was the point? Bakugo didn't need to justify himself. Or, he thought he hadn't. After that, no one would speak to him unless forced. Not even Kirishima, who before had acted like a lost puppy or something.

And then came the requests by agencies after the Sports Festival. Todoroki was showered with them, but chose his father, the spoiled brat. Ashido got several dozen. Tokoyomi got one from Hawks, a top ten hero. Uraraka, damn her for being so nice, got ten. Even Iida, who hadn't even placed, got a few as did several others. But how many did Bakugo, the second place finisher get? None.

Because he was weak. Not because his quirk wasn't strong. Not because he couldn't fight. Not even because he had lost to a quirkless boy. But because he had beaten a girl bloody, when he could have found another way. Because he had ranted, and raved, and boasted, and bragged. Because he was proud. He was weak. And he needed to find a way to become strong again.

After repeating the mantra to himself a couple of times, Bakugo was still royally pissed off. But not at Midoriya or Iida. At himself. Bakugo had been mad at himself a lot in the last few months. Really, he'd been mad at himself for a long time. Mr. Inui had helped him see that.

"Dammit, All Might." Bakugo started jogging through the woods, not really sure where he was going. He was following a sort of path up a hill, and he knew he could make his way back if he needed to. He'd always had a great sense of direction.

Thinking of All Might brought Bakugo back to the Sports Festival. Standing up on the podium, for all the world to see what a failure he was. While Izuku Midoriya stood tall, revealing in the praise and affection Bakugo had always assumed was his birthright, but was now denied.

That was when Bakugo had realized something: You weren't born a winner. You became one.

"I didn't fail. I can still get stronger. Stronger than Midoriya. Stronger than anyone. Even heroes lose," Bakugo panted. All Might had told Bakugo that. Shown him that awful scar. Shown him how weak he actually was. That had been a shock to his system.

And then, All Might had taken Bakugo to Hound Dog, the school Counselor. At first, Bakugo had done nothing but rage and snap at Hound Dog. And for once, someone had raged and snapped back. After their first "session" Hound Dog's office had been torn to shreds, partly from Bakugo's explosions, partly from Hound Dog's ripping the place apart. And Bakugo had needed about 10 stiches too.

He smiled at the memory. Hound Dog was strong. And he'd helped Bakugo realize he still was strong. But that he was also brittle.

_"You think that heroes always win?" Hound Dog had demanded. "You're an idiot, Katsuki! Hell, even All Might lost sometimes! You saw his scar! And what else did he tell you?"_

_"That he's retiring!" Bakugo had yelled back. "What do I care if some washed up old man turns into a loser!"_

_"Because you're a washed up loser and you're only 16! Now sit down before I bite you!" Hound Dog had snarled._

_"I'm not a loser!" Bakugo had barked back. But then he'd sat down hard. "Except I am. I got beaten by a quirkless nerd and his tin can! I'm worthless! Just let me drop out! Everyone in my class knows I'm weak, that's why they hate me!"_

_"They don't hate you, you spoiled brat! They just show you all the respect you show them! Now sit down before I growl BARK BARK BARK!"_

That session had ended with another visit to Recovery Girl for both of them. It hadn't been until recently that Bakugo realized Hound Dog was letting Bakugo use him as his punching bag. And eventually, Bakugo had started to listen. These past few weeks, he had started to try to do what Hound Dog suggested. To be nice. To let himself show a little weakness, because it wasn't being weak to admit you needed help.

"Too bad I'm crap at it," Bakugu grunted. He ascended to the top of the rise, and was now on a wide rocky shelf, looking out over the valley below.

"What are you doing here, stupid?!"

Bakugo turned to see the shrimp he'd noticed around camp. He frowned. "What's it to you, shri-kid. What's it to you, kid? Why do you care? And don't call me stupid! That's rude!"

The kid didn't back down, stepping forward and glaring at Bakugo. "This is my hiding place! Go find your own!"

"I'm not hiding you rude little bastard!" Bakugo yelled. Inwardly he winced slightly. He was pretty bad at this whole being nice thing. "Otherwise you wouldn't find me!"

"Well then go away!" the kid said, tears coming into his eyes. "I don't want to talk to anyone."

Bakugo sat down, turning his back to the kid. "Fine. I don't want to talk to you either."

For a second, Bakugo thought the shrimp would try to hit him or something, give Bakugo an excuse to put him in his place. No! If the others thought he was beating up on runts again, he'd never get what he wanted. What did he want, anyway? He damn sure didn't want their help. Except, he sort of did. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.

The kid sat down next to Bakugo. He felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation, but he ignored the little jerk. See if he cared where the little idiot sat.

"Heroes are stupid," the kid said.

Bakugo looked at him. "That's a real mouthy thing to say. Isn't your mom one of the Pussy whatevers?"

"No!" the kid snapped. "Don't you even know who I am?"

"No," Bakugo said. He almost turned away again. Then he made himself try to smile. "I'm Bakugo. Who are you?"

The kid looked at Bakugo's face and paled slightly. Good. The smile was working. "Um, I'm Kota. Don't hurt me, please."

"I'm not going to hurt you, so shut up!" Bakugo roared. He sat there fuming for a moment, wishing the kid would go away. Then he closed his eyes. Nice. He could be nice. He was strong.

"So, um, why are you hiding? This part of some stupid game or what?"

"No. I'm hiding from you," Kota said.

Bakugo snorted. "Wow. Stellar job. You're real damn good at this."

"Shut up! You weren't supposed to come up here!" Kota whined. Then he looked down. "It's 'cause heroes are dumb. That's why I'm up here."

"Well why the hell are you here? I mean, at the camp? What, are your parents dead?" Bakugo snapped.

Tears came to Kota's eyes, and he drew his legs up to himself as he started to sniffle. "...I hate you. I hate all heroes."

"Hmph. You're barking up the wrong damn tree, kid. I'm not a hero," Bakugo said. Crap. The kid's parents were really dead. Great, now Uraraka would hate him again because he'd made a kid cry. But what did he care? Why should he care about what Uraraka, or anyone, thought? Why did he care? Dammit, why did he have to care?

"Well you're here, right? You're from that school for heroes," Kota whimpered. "See if I care. You'll all lose and die, like my parents did, because they didn't love me!"

Bakugo glanced at the kid, then sighed. Hesitantly, he put a hand on the kids shoulder. "I...guess your parents loved you, or whatever. They were heroes, right?"

Kota only nodded, tears running down his cheeks.

"Well, I bet they were heroes to keep you safe or something stupid like that. That's why most idiots want to be heroes," Bakugo said with a shrug.

Kota looked up, frowning. "Then why didn't they come home to me? And don't call my parents idiots!"

"Fine, whatever. Look, I bet they were strong, right?"

Kota nodded again.

"Well, maybe there was like, some villain or whatever they had to stop. Maybe they saved people. So, they were strong. They won. They did save those people. And you. So, stop saying heroes are stupid, you ungrateful little bastard! Your parents did everything they could for you, so show some damn gratitude!"

Unexpectedly, Kota dissolved into hysterical tears and threw himself onto Bakugo, clinging to the older boy and weeping uncontrollably. Bakugo froze, totally unsure of what to do. Slowly, he put his arms around Kota, trying to think. What had his mom said when he'd cried as a kid?

"Don't be such a pussy," Bakugo growled. "You're stronger than this. Winners don't cry. And you're not a loser, right?!"

"N-n-no," Kota sniffled. He wiped his nose on his arm. Disgusting little twerp. "I'm strong! Are you strong?"

Bakugo grunted and looked away from Kota. "I thought I was."

"Well, I saw you training. You can like, make explosions and stuff, right? So you must be strong." Kota let Bakugo go, but sat down with his head leaning against the older boy. "Why couldn't you save my parents?"

"I told you, I'm not a hero. Not yet, anyway. Maybe I never will be. I'm...bad at being nice. And apparently, heroes have to be nice or some crap like that."

"My mom and dad were nice," Kota whispered.

Bakugo looked down at him. Reluctantly, he gave the kid a pat on the back. "Yeah. I bet they were."

"If you're not good at being nice, what are you good at?" Kota demanded, glaring up at Bakugo.

"Blowing stuff up, mostly. Breaking things. And people," Bakugo said, looking at his hand. "So if you need something wrecked, I guess I can do that."

"Can you kill Muscular?" Kota whispered, shrinking in on himself.

Bakugo froze, then looked down at the kid. "Holy crap, your parents got wasted by that freak? Jesus Christ kid, who the hell were your parents?! That villain's a monster! A lunatic!"

"They...they were the Izumis. Team Water Hose," Kota sniffed.

"Shit. Yeah," Bakugo gingerly put his hand on the boy's shoulders, the boy instantly snuggling up to him. "Your parents were heroes, kid. Real heroes. I heard about that. It was messed up. They saved a lot of people before they died though. Sorry. Guess I was being an asshole again."

Kota shrugged, wiping his nose with his hands. "It's OK. I was being mean too. I...I'm glad you found me."

"Really?! Well, I guess that's what they'll write on your tombstone then! Died like mommy and daddy!"

Hairs rose on the back of Bakugo's neck. Without thinking, he grabbed Kota with one hand, and launched himself to the side with an explosion from the other. He felt a slash of wind as he moved, and a split second later heard the sound of stone shattering and then felt pebbles bounce off his back.

He used another explosion to spin himself about, tucking Kota to his side in a football carry as he fell into a fighting stance.

"Not bad kid!" a blond giant of a man with a scar across his eye laughed. He had on a red tank top, and bits of what looked like muscle fiber poked out of his skin in various places. "You've got good reflexes, I'll give you that!"

Bakugo felt his blood run cold. "Muscular!" he gasped.

"In the flesh!" the monstrous villain laughed. "I couldn't help but overhear your touching little heart to heart! Brought a tear to my eye!" Muscular mimed wiping away a tear, but his smile was pure malevolence. "I was just going to case the place before the fun and games got started, but, well, it looks like I get to start things off right! Oh, before we begin, either of you AssumingDirectControlN7? That's one word, weird capitals and stuff. On the internet or some crap. We're supposed to be looking for that guy. Well, are you?"

"The hell are you babbling about, you ugly bastard?" Bakugo snarled. He felt his pulse racing. He knew this guy. Muscular. The Water Hose duo had not been his first or last kills. Other heroes had fallen, and some civilians. Now that Stain was in jail, he might just be Japan's most wanted. Him or Moonfish.

"I'll take that as a no. Good! I'm not supposed to kill him. He's been most helpful!" Muscular laughed. He slammed his fist into his palm, showing his teeth in a predatory grimace. "Guess I get to kill both of you then."

Bakugo moved as soon as he saw Muscular's legs tense up. He launched himself into the air with explosions directed towards feet, annihilating his shoes in the process. But it had been the only way he could think of to move without letting Muscular see which was he was going to go. Kota screamed, and Bakugo managed to launch himself over the brute, who buried himself in the mountain side.

"Kota, run!" Bakugo ordered, setting the kid down and turning back to face Muscular. "Get the hell out of here!"

"But I-"

"I didn't ask you, I told you! You're going to get in my way you useless shrimp! Now run home to mommy!" Bakugo snarled.

He didn't turn to look, but he heard Kota start to cry and heard his footsteps recede down the mountain trail. For a second, he thought about following after him. But then Muscular ripped himself free of the rock and spun, laughing.

"I'm going to kill you, boy! And then I'm going to hunt that little weakling down and bury him like I did his parents! Their wills were weak, just like his! And yours!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Bakugo snarled. "You're just a stupid meat head! A stepping stone on my path to glory!"

"Oh ho, I do like it when they're spirited," Muscular chuckled. "It makes it so much more satisfying to watch the disbelief as I squeeze the life out of them!"

This time, Bakugo didn't wait for Muscular to charge. He went on the offensive. First rule of fighting: he who hit first, usually won. He couldn't get close, not with someone this strong. But his explosions had a bit of a reach to them. He waited for Muscular to lunge for him, then immediately snapped his arms forward and unleashed the biggest blast he could, sending himself flying away.

That nearly got him killed. Muscular was fast, and stronger than Bakugo could have imagined. The blast ripped Muscular's clothes off and even shredded his skin, but that didn't seem to phase the freak. He charged through the blast, and Bakugo had to blast again to send himself sideways to get out of the villain's. He used his hands to blast off the rock, then blasted at Muscular's back and then fired again to launch himself away and atop a higher ledge.

"Well, I guess you're not completely weak!" Muscular laughed. Blood trickled down his back and over his face, but he didn't seem to care. "I actually felt that! I'd say good job, but really, you've yet to show me even an ounce of real will. You're just another weakling!"

"I'll kill you, you ugly freak!" Bakugo snarled. He raised his hand, sweat dripping down his body. That was good. He could use that, use it to blow this idiot to kingdom come. But it was also very, very bad. For the first time in his life, Bakugo was terrified. He hadn't been scared when he fought Midoriya. Up until the very last moment, he'd been certain he could win. But he'd lost then.

Now, Bakugo didn't think he could ever beat the monster before him. And if even he didn't think he could win, what the hell was the point?

"It's you who's weak! You pick on people you think you can beat? Well this time you bit off more than you can chew, asshole!" Bakugo roared as Muscular leapt into the air towards him.

"That's it!" Muscular laughed. "That's what I want to see! Come on then! Let's see who can keep their word! I'm betting on me!"

Bakugo used Muscular's jump to his advantage. He was strong, but he wasn't like Bakugo, who could change direction in mid air. Bakugo didn't hold his ground, instead diving under Muscular's charge, and firing off a series of explosions from below, blowing Muscular higher into the air. For a few seconds, Bakugo seemed to climb through the air on explosions and juggled Muscular higher and higher. But then, Musclar's arm brushed the mountain. The enormous man slammed his fist into the rock at an angle, sending him hurtling back down at Bakugo.

But Bakugo had been ready. He'd seen Muscular getting closer to the rock, and blew himself out and sideways, then down, landing on the rock below with a jarring thud. He didn't give himself time to wince, time to think, he just reacted. He threw himself forward, using explosions to fly along the cliffside. He was just in time. Muscular impacted close enough and with so much force that rock shards cut into Bakugo's bare feet and arms and tore at his shirt and pants.

Spinning in the air, Bakugo unleashed another barrage of blasts at Muscular as the man charged him. He altered his trajectory slightly, looking away from Muscular and at the mountain side. Just as he was at the cliff edge, Bakugo launched himself down as Muscular barreled towards the edge. Bakugo slapped a hand to the rock and let loose an explosion that made him cry out in pain as more rock shards dug into his body, but it worked. The surface under Muscular shattered and fell away in a rock slide, tumbling down towards the forest below. Bakugo didn't stay still though, jumping up and away and blasting at Muscular to try to keep him off his footing.

However, Muscular just jammed his arms and legs deep into the rock, halting his tumble at the edge of the cliff.

"God dammit it!" Bakugo snarled as he scrambled back up onto the cliff. He ran, trying to get some distance as Muscular yanked himself free. "Just die already!"

"That's your job!" Muscular laughed. "You can't keep this up forever!"

"Longer than you dumbass!" Bakugo roared. But part of him quavered. Muscular was right. He couldn't do this forever. Already his blasts were weakening, and he was already drained and tired from his long day.

"So you think you're tough, do you?"

"Damn right I am!" Muscular laughed. "I-" he suddenly stopped, a vacant look coming into his eyes.

Bakugo blinked, taking another step back, then glanced around. Shinso was floating there, in mid air.

"Hey," Shinso said with a wave. "This is going to sound really stupid. But I need you to catch me."

"Fine," Bakugo said with a growl. "How are you doing that?"

Shinso rolled his eyes. "I suddenly manifested a flying quirk. How do you think?"

"Guys, I'm starting to feel like I'm going to puke," Uraraka's shaky voice called. "I really overused my quirk today…"

"Fine, I got him!" Bakugo snapped. He jumped out and grabbed onto Shinso, who for a moment was utterly weightless.

"Release!"

Immediately Shinso turned as heavy as a bag of rocks, and Bakugo plummeted. He slowed himself with a series of explosions, though they still landed hard.

"Gentle," Shinso groaned as he sat up atop Bakugo. "I still got him, but don't knock me around too much."

"Bakugo!" Uraraka cried. "Are you OK!?"

"Fine. Where's Kota?" Bakugo demanded. He blinked. Why did he care about the kid?

But Uraraka smiled, a few tears moistening her eyes. "He's on his way back to camp. Shinso, can you move?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired still. Crap, I don't know how much longer I can hold him," Shinso panted.

Bakugo glanced up at Muscular, who was simply standing above them, not moving. He ripped his shirt off, wrapping it around his bare and bloodied feet. No time to stand still now.

"Tell him to go jump off the cliff the other way," Bakugo said.

"I do that and it breaks the control," Shinso said. "Don't try hitting him. That'll break it too."

"Fine. Let's just run then," Bakugo said.

"Good idea," Uraraka agreed. "Come on!"

The three of them sprinted away, Bakugo forcing himself not to look back. He felt as though a spider was crawling down his spine, and that at any moment Muscular would come tearing after them.

"What are you two idiots even doing here?" Bakugo demanded as they ran.

"Saving your sorry ass," Shinso panted. "A thank you would be nice!"

"We were worried about you!" Uraraka gasped. "The games were starting and we couldn't find you!"

"Because I wasn't going to play your dumb games!" Bakugo ranted. Then he swallowed and tried to take a breath. "And...thanks. You two...you really saved me. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. I was just…" he trailed off, thinking that he was just about to get killed.

"You were being a hero! You saved Kota!" Uraraka declared. "I knew you were really a nice guy, Bakugo!"

"The hell I am!" Bakugo snarled.

"Less talking, more running. He just got free," Shinso gasped. "And does anyone else smell smoke?"

Just then, something like a voice echoed inside Bakugo's mind. ATTENTION. VILLAINS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE TRAINING CAMP. AN ATTACK IS UNDER PROGRESS. STUDENTS SHOULD MAKE FOR THE CAMP. MANDALAY OUT.

They soon found themselves coughing and gasping for breath. A few more meters down the trail, they had to pause and put their shirts over their mouths.

"I hear crying," Uraraka gasped. "Kota!"

"What the hell is happening? Did you start a fire or something Bakugo?" Shinso demanded.

"Not on purpose, idiot! And it would be behind us, not ahead of us! The wind's blowing in our faces you moron!" Bakugo snapped. He looked around. "Kota! Come out before you choke to death you little idiot!"

"H-h-help," Kota cried, stumbling out from the trees. "The smoke, it's-"

"Shut up, it's fine, we're here now," Bakugo said. He scooped up Kota, then looked around.

"Come on, we have to get off the trail, otherwise Muscular will just catch up to us."

Urakaka nodded. "Yeah, here, we can hide there in those thorn bushes."

They quickly scrambled off the trail, Bakugo snapping at Kota to shut up. Thankfully, the boy did, burying his face against Bakugo's chest.

Not more than a minute later, Muscular thundered down the trail.

"I'll murder you, you little bastards! Get back here!"

They waited until Muscular had passed, then Shinso stood and motioned them forward. "This way. Smoke's not as bad in this direction."

"But the camp is the other way," Uraraka protested.

"Highway's that way," Bakugo coughed. "Whatever's going on, we'd best get the hell away from here. Kota's not doing well. And...I'm not saying I couldn't fight, but today was a long day. I'm tired."

"We all are," Shinso agreed. "Come on."

They made their way through the trees and shrubs, trying to avoid the worst of the smoke.

"Where did Muscular come from?" Uraraka gasped. "And how'd this fire get started?"

"I don't think he's alone," Bakugo said grimly. "He talked about casing the place. Said 'we' were looking for someone."

"Who?" Shinso asked. "And why the hell are they way out here looking for them?"

"I don't know. It was some dumb name or something. N7 control or some crap like that," Bakugo answered.

Shinso suddenly froze, and Bakugo nearly bumped into him. "Keep moving, you idiot! We've got to stay ahead of the fire!"

"They weren't...they weren't looking for AssumingDirectControlN7, were they?" Shinso demanded, spinning around to grab Bakugo.

"Yeah, that was it. Why, you heard of that freak or something?" Bakugo demanded.

Shinso had gone deathly pale, even more so than usual. "Oh God. What have I done?" Without another word, he shoved Bakugo aside and sprinted off, back the way they had come.

"Shinso!" Uraraka coughed.

"Shit," Bakugo muttered. He shoved Kota at Uraraka. "Keep the kid safe! I'm going after that idiot!"

"What, but Bakukgo-"

"Be a hero, dammit!" Bakugo snarled. "Keep Kota safe!"

He didn't have time to worry about them though as he chased after Shinso. Damn, Shinso was fast. What, did he run a 10k everyday or something? It didn't matter. He was the first kid at school that had shown even an ounce of respect for Bakugo in months. And dammit, he wasn't going to let Shinso get himself killed over whatever stupid nonsense he had in his head.

Because Bakugo wasn't weak. He was strong. Even if he needed people to save his ass once in a while.

_Authors Note:_

_I am not a licensed clinical psychologist or an SBBH. My job is data collection and recommendations based upon classroom behavior and implementing team decisions for behavior modification and support. That said:_

_Name: Bakugo, Katsuki_

_Birth Date: April 20_

_Age: 16_

_Sex: M_

_Evaluator: Inui, R_

_Referred for Psychological Evaluation_

_Reason for referral:_

_Disorderly conduct, emotional instability, difficulty forming peer bonds_

_Person Initiating referral:_

_Yagi, T_

_Findings:_

_Bakugo has impairments in self functioning: he is heavily reliant on how others perceive him for his own emotional regulation and self esteem evaluation. In his mind, Bakugo must always be seen as strong by others. Offers of help and support by others are perceived as direct insults, implying that they look down on Bakugo or think he is weak._

_Bakugo has impairments in intimacy: he struggles to form meaningful bonds with peers and staff. His relationships revolve around Bakugo's own ego and self worth, and are largely superficial. Bakugo seems to view others as nothing more than a way to validate himself, typically by validating his strength and superiority._

_Bakugo exhibits pathological antagonism, characterized by grandiosity: Bakugo feels entitled to the praise and support of his peers, and preferential treatment, due to his strength. He firmly believes that he is superior, and is very condescending towards anyone he perceives as inferior to himself (typically all his peers and most adults)._

_A home interview and interview with previous school bears out that this manifestation is consistent and stable across time and environments and is not unique or novel to Bakugo's current situation._

_Bakugo's actions are not normative for his peer group and age, nor can they be dismissed as a result of his recent successes as the pattern has been consistent throughout Bakugo's life since early childhood._

_Bakug's mental state is not a result of pharmaceuticals, prior injury, quirk manifestation, or general health and well being._

_Conclusions:_

_Bakugo exhibits all criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, per the DSM XII. The team is in agreement on this diagnosis. Bakugo's parents, and Bakugo himself, recognize the need for treatment._

_Recommendations:_

_Bakugo has agreed to attend therapy sessions three times weekly. Bakugo and his family will attend weekly family counseling sessions._

_Note: Bakugo has been prescribed a mood stabilizer, following a deep depression as a result of his recent loss in the UA sports festival._

_Prognosis:_

_As Bakugo recognizes his condition and need for change, general health outcomes over a three year period are positive. Yearly re-evaluations will be conducted. Family has been notified that this condition is considered a lifetime mental health issue, and that treatment can ease, but not eliminate, difficulties._

_…_

_Please note that I don't consider this to be AU in the slightest. While I am personally not licensed to diagnose mental health disorders, I would refer any child who exhibited behaviors in line with those Bakugo does in the canon story, and would be confident this would be the diagnosis the mental health team on my campus would return._


	24. Fear Itself

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_24\. Fear Itself_

"_Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear."_

― _Franklin D. Roosevelt_

"Come on Mei, it will be fun!" Ashido weedled, grinning as she hung upside down off the safety railing.

"Yeah, come on. Don't you want to see Midoriya squeal?" Jiro teased.

Mei frowned at that, pushing up her goggles to study the other two girls. "Why would I want Izuku to squeal? Besides, we're running our final diagnostics before the Power Suit is ready. We put in a lot of upgrades!"

"Because it's fun! Just imagine, you could protect him from the dangerous ghouls and scary ghosts that lurk in the woods!" Ashido said, putting her fingers around her eyes in the shape of a monster's face.

Despite himself, Izuku shuddered. Even the thought of something jumping out at him gave him the shivers.

"See? He's practically leaping into your arms already!" Jiro said, gesturing at Izuku. "Come on, it'll be fun! You can be the brave hero, protecting the blushing maiden!"

"Izuku wants to be the hero, I just want to make cute babies," Mei huffed.

That made Izuku flush. "She means-"

"Eh, it goes both ways," Jiro said with a shrug and a sly grin. "Come on, we're going to keep bothering you until you come out and play. Take a break, relax!"

"Plus, you can help us make some spooky pranks of our own when it's our classes turn to scare 1B," Ashido offered. "I bet you could make a wicked fog machine or freaky robots or something."

"I get to make super cute babies?" Mei asked, suddenly interested.

"As long as they're for scaring the pants off of 1B, yeah," Jiro agreed.

Mei grinned widely. But then she paused glancing at Izuku. "Only if Izuku wants to go. I'm not going if he's too scared."

"Come on Midoriya, don't be a chicken!" Ashido said, and she and Jiro immediately began making clucking noises.

"O-ok," Izuku said, smiling. "I guess it won't be so bad…"

"Alright! I know just what to bring to make the cutest, scariest babies ever! I used to make some to keep the brats out of my workshop until I accidentally set the house on fire again," Mei said, scrambling to gather up some materials.

Jiro blinked. "Did you really set your house on fire?"

"Not for months, Izuku's better at fire safety than I am, even if it's annoying sometimes," Mei said. She handed Izuku an armful of various parts and grabbed a few more. "Right, let's go!"

They met up with the rest of 1A near the edge of the forest, where Mandalay was going over the rules for the Test of Courage. Jiro ran over and whispered something to Mandalay, who nodded. When it came time to draw partners for going through the forest, Izuku saw that Mandalay just so happened to draw his and Mei's names together.

"Go on you two!" Ashido laughed. "Go have fun!"

"H-hey, where's Shinso?" Izuku asked, desperately stalling for time.

"He and Uraraka left a while ago to hunt down Bakugo. He's not getting out of this either," Jiro laughed. "Go on, show 1B what 1A is made of!"

"Probably mostly flesh. Except for Kirishima, he's made of rocks," Mei said. She smiled. "That was a joke!"

"Really?" Kaminari asked with a blink.

Kirishima snorted and then burst out laughing, which made several other students laugh as well. Izuku blushed, but Mei took his hand, striding out into the woods. "Come on Izuku, the sooner we finish the sooner we can make more babies!"

"Wooooo!" Jiro and Ashido called. "You go girl!"

They hadn't gone far before the bushes around them shook. Izuku swallowed, and clutched Mei's hand tightly. It was nothing, it was fine, he was-

Two pale figures arose out of the bushes, dark blood staining their faces, their eyes nothing but blackness. They glowed in the moonlight, and a moaning filled the air.

"EEEEEEK!" Izuku shrieked, and grabbed Mei, pushing her behind him. "S-s-stay back, it's-!"

A giggling filled the air suddenly, and Izuku spun to see Kendo peeking from behind a tree with Yanagi.

"Izuku, why are you upset?" Mei asked, confused. "It's just some old shirts dipped in glow in the dark paint with two volleyballs with some makeup."

Mei walked up and slapped the volleyball, which flew off a ways, then floated back.

"Oh my God, Midoriya. You scream like a girl," Kendo giggled.

"Was it scary?" Yanagi asked. "I thought if I used my telekinesis it would make them look like ghosts."

"Y-y-yeah, scary," Izuku agreed, swallowing. "Um, let's go Mei."

Mei happily walked along holdin Izuku's hand, while he trembled and looked around worriedly. This was stupid. He wanted to be a Hero. He just had to think of it right, think of it as protecting Mei, and-

"Izuku! There's a body!" Mei gasped, stopping.

Izuku looked ahead, and saw Honenuki sprawled out on the ground, a dark puddle beneath him. Izuku and Mei hurried forward, but just before they reached him, Honenuki looked up, dark red liquid staining his face. "You're...next…"

Then he sank straight into the ground. Izuku found himself clutching Mei tightly, his skin feeling as though he'd taken a dip in ice water filled with crawling bugs.

"Ha ha! It was a trick!" Mei bent over and poked her finger in the dark liquid that floated on the surface of the muddy impression on the ground. "It's ketchup! See?"

Izuku paled at having the red liquid waved before his nose. "Y-y-yeah, just, um, just ketchup."

Now Izuku was holding tightly to Mei by her shoulders, but she was happily humming and striding along ahead of him. "This is interesting! I bet I could make a small air jet that would make painted clothes float in the air! Or even make something that exploded and sprayed out blood! Hmm, it should probably be fake, I don't think we would find anyone that would give us enough."

Izuku nodded, trying to focus on what Mei was saying. He smelled smoke in the air, and looked around worriedly. Was there a fire? No, it had to be another prank. Ahead, Izuku heard more screams. That made him feel a little better. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were ahead of them, and if they were screaming in terror then-

A sudden wall of ice erupted a hundred meters ahead of them followed by a burst of flames. Dark, smokey flames, not the usual crimson of Todoroki. A second later, a bright streak launched into the air, followed by two more. There were three sharp bursts, and then red flares began to light up the sky.

"Oooh, no one told me we could have explosions! I have just the-"

"Mei, we have to go," Izuku said, feeling real fear sink into his bones, not the jitters he felt at potential jump scares. Instead of shaking, Izuku's voice was calm, steady, and he'd stopped quivering.

"What? Izuku, it's just something else to scare us," Mei said

Izuku pointed to the flares, now dropping towards the forest. "That's a distress signal! Something's happening with Yaoyorozu and Todoroki! Come on! A fire must have gotten out of control or something."

Izuku took off running towards where the fire was, Mei hot on his heels. As they went, the smoke got thicker, and Izuku had to pull his shirt over his mouth.

"Izuku, shouldn't we go the other way?" Mei coughed.

He shook his head, pressing forward despite the increasingly choking fog. "No, we have to...we have to help...help them…"

Darkness started to creep in at the edges of his vision. His eyes were burning, and Izuku was becoming dizzy. He tried to drop to his hands and knees to crawl, but-

ATTENTION. VILLAINS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE TRAINING CAMP. AN ATTACK IS UNDERWAY. STUDENTS ARE TO RETURN TO THE CABINS IMMEDIATELY! AVOID DIRECT CONFRONTATION!

"Wh-what?" Izuku coughed. He reached out for Mei, who had fallen to the ground. She was breathing, but not moving. Izuku dragged himself towards her, his hands trembling. "M-mei-"

Darkness overwhelmed Izuku.


	25. True Colors

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_T__rue Colors_

_Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved._

_-Helen Keller_

After only a few minutes of running, Bakugo was forced to slow down, his lungs burning. He ducked low, trying to avoid the smoke. His eyes watered and he couldn't quite see, but he was determined to press on. He became disoriented, his mind swimming. He couldn't think. What was happening? How was he-

"Bakugo!"

Out of the trees came Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, along with Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki. They all had on gas masks.

"What's going on?" Bakugo coughed. "Where's Shinso?"

"We don't know!" Yaoyorozi said. Her quirk activated, sparkling light coming out of her exposed navel. A gas mask appeared, and she ran up to Bakugo and handed it to him. "There's some sort of poison gas! Put this on."

Bakugo complied, slipping the mask on over his face. After a couple of clean breaths, his head cleared. "I ran into Muscular earlier, but there have to be more villains."

"Muscular?" Tetsutestu said. "Damn, that guys got a body count nearly as big as Stain's. How'd you survive?"

For a moment Bakugo almost either told him to shut up or lied and said that he fought off Muscular, but he swallowed his pride and said, "Shinso and Uraraka saved me. I couldn't even dent the guy. He's bad news."

"You couldn't hurt him?" Todoroki asked, sounding worried. "That's bad. You're one of our strongest fighters."

"Yeah, thanks Icy-Hot. Maybe both of us could take him down together, but alone we'd be screwed," Bakugo said. "We've got to find Shinso and the others before Muscular and the other villains do."

"We're supposed to report back to camp," Shiozaka said. "We should do that, we don't want to get ourselves into further trouble."

"I'm not leaving Shinso alone!" Bakugo ranted. "He saved my ass, and I'm not going to let him get himself killed!"

"Where's Uraraka?" Todoroki demanded. "Did you leave her alone?"

Bakugo shrugged. "I pointed her and the kid towards the highway, told them to get the hell out of here. Shinso just took off running back to camp when I told him Muscular was after someone in particular. I think maybe it's him."

"Why would Muscular be after Shinso?" Testutestu asked.

Shiozaka frowned. "Many assume that Shinso must be a villain himself, because of his quirk. I-"

"He's not a villain!" Bakugo snapped. He shouldered his way forward. "You idiots can do whatever you want. I'm finding him."

"Wait," Shiozaka said, putting a hand on Bakugo's shoulder. He glared at her, but she just tightened her grip. "I will not allow you to face this peril alone. You walk the path of repentance. I do not believe Shinso to be a Judas. I shall accompany you."

"I don't like this, but I'm coming too," Yaoyoruzu said. "If you run into that flame quirk user, you'll be in trouble."

"The same goes for me. If Muscular is there, everyone's in danger," Todoroki said. He turned back the way they'd come, his expression grim. "But that means getting past both the fire and that gas."

"We'll pound our way through!" Tetsutestu vowed, smashing his hands together, sparks flying up as he activated his metallic quirk.

"The fog gets denser through there?" Bakugo demanded.

"Yes, we had to run to get away from it and that villain that attacked us, but it seemed to fade the further away we ran," Yaoyorozu explained.

Bakugo grinned. "Well, that means someone is controlling it. And I bet we find them at the thickest point in the fog. We'll pound them and then find Shinso and the others."

They hurried forward, and soon the gas thickened, filling the air and swirling about in strange phantom shapes. Bakugo kept on towards where it was thickest, and soon they could barely see where they were going. Just as they were reaching the center, another message echoed in Bakugo's mind.

ATTENTION: THESE VILLAINS ARE HIGHLY DANGEROUS. YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO USE YOUR QUIRKS TO DEFEND YOURSELVES AND TAKE OUT FOES. TRY TO REMAIN TOGETHER AND REGROUP AT THE CABINS.

"Well that sounds ominous," Todoroki said.

Tetsutetsu laughed. "Hey, at least we won't get in trouble now! We can-"

There was a sharp crack and then a loud clang, and Tetsutetsu fell to the ground, his mask shattered.

"Gun!" Yaoyorozu cried, flinging herself to the ground.

"You fools have fallen right into my trap! You UA Students think you're so much-"

"Todoroki! Fire!" Bakugo yelled, then leaped to the side with an explosion fueled jump. Todoroki unleashed a wave of flame that burned away the nearby mists, revealing a boy Bakugo's own age in a gas mask and Stahlmhelm.

"What?" the boy gasped. He fired again at Todoroki, but a wall of ice erupted between them, and the bullet lodged itself harmlessly.

Bakugo leapt forward, but before he could do anything vines sprang out of the ground, wrapping themselves around the villain and ripping his mask from his face and enveloping the gun. He coughed and spluttered, and the gas began to rapidly disperse.

"You shall atone for your sins!" Shiozaki said, striding forward. The boy she had captured wheezed and gasped, his fingers twitching.

"You damn pampered brats!" the boy spluttered. "You'll pay for this! You all will! I-"

Bakugo slammed his fist into the boy's gut, grinning widely. "You know who I am, freak?"

The boy wheezed and nodded. "You're...you're that idiot who lost the Sports Festival who-"

This time, Bakugo punched the boy in the side of his jaw. He was careful not to make it a clean hit, he didn't want to knock the kid out. The boy moaned, then spat out a tooth and some blood.

"Bakugo!" Yaoyorozu gasped. "What are you doing?"

"I've been pissed for a while," Bakugo laughed. "It's finally time I got to beat the snot out of someone!"

"I cannot allow you to simply-" Shiozaki began, but Todoroki put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let him. We can't afford to leave him alive behind us. It's better this way."

Bakugo grinned. He wondered if Todoroki had figured out his plan, or if he was just a coldblooded bastard. Either way, it worked for Bakugo.

"What? No! You're supposed to be heroes! You can't kill me!" the boy said, panicked now, struggling wildly against the restraining vines.

Bakugo laughed and took off his mask. He knew he had to look like hell, his eyes bloodshot from the smoke and gas, his face smeared with blood and grime. "Do I look like a hero to you?" he whispered, leaning in close.

The other boy moaned, and Bakugo suddenly smelled the sharp stink of urine. It was working. He punched the boy again in the stomach. Not too hard, but he would feel it. The boy retched and groaned.

"Why should I leave you alive?" Bakugo demanded. "You tried to kill me. Turn about is fair play."

"I-I can tell you about the others!" the boy babbled. "I can, um, I can give you information! Yes, lots of information!"

"Pff. I think I'll just kill you." Bakugo lit off an explosion in one hand, grinning madly. "I've always wanted to see what color people's brains are when they're cooked!"

"Listen," Todaroki said, pushing Bakugo to the side. "I don't have a problem ending your worthless life. My father is Endeavor. You might have heard of him. He's got the most arrests, but he's also got the highest body count as far as heros go. I've got the same philosophy: A jail cell, or a body bag. The pay's the same."

"I'll tell you anything!" the boy babbled. "Please, just let me live!"

"How many of you are there?" Todoroki demanded.

"There's nine of us! Muscular, Moonfish, Dabi, Toga, Compress, Magne, Spinner, Twice, and me, Mustard!" the boy babbled.

"He's lying. Kill him," Todoroki said, turning away.

Bakugo leered and lit off a series of small explosions from his hands.

Mustard started weeping. "No! I swear, that's everyone!"

"We saw the one with the chainsaws," Todoroki said, turning his back. "You're of no use to us."

"What?! That's just a nomu! It's a mindless beast, it doesn't count! Dabi can control it, but it's just a weapon! Please, you have to believe me!"

"Pff, names don't mean anything," Bakugo said, stepping closer. He sent a small blast over Mustard's head, burning some of his hair and adding to the stink.

"Their quirks! Oh god, don't kill me, I'll tell you their quirks!" Mustard pleaded.

"I know Muscular's and Moonfish's already," Bakugo cackled. "Moonfish does the thing with his teeth, and Muscular has that enhancing quirk. What good is knowing about the others?"

"Dabi makes flames! He's weak to his own fire though, he can burn himself! Compress can make things small, he hides them in these little balls! Toga's insane! Her quirk lets her take people's shape, clothes and all by drinking their blood, and she has all these knives! Um, Twice can duplicate anyone but himself, he's nutso too."

"Keep talking," Todoroki said, pulling Bakugo back slightly.

"Magne can make people magnetic! Boy's are one pole, girls are the other, but, but I don't remember which is which!"

"Ah, just let me kill him!" Bakugo said, straining slightly against Todoroki's grip. "Come on! Let me blow off just a limb!"

"I-I'll talk, I'll talk! Please, just keep him away from me! Spinner, he's just a lizard, can walk on walls and stuff but he carries this giant sword. And, and I make gas! A-and the Nomu! It can grow extra limbs and put stuff on them, usually chainsaws or hammers or drills! God, I swear that's everything!"

"Who are you?" Bakugo demanded. "The hell are you doing here?"

"The League Villains! We're the Vanguard Action Squad! W-we're here because of a guy, um, Shiguraki met him online! Calls himself AssumingDirectControlN7, one word! Shiguraki's been talking to him for months, on message boards and stuff. He's the same one that told us All Might was going to be training your class at the USJ all those months ago or something, and now he's led us here!"

"What?" Bakugo said, feeling dazed. "Shinso's on your side?"

"If that's who it is! Shiguraki said he doesn't know about this, but that he'd be happy to join our side! He hates Hero Society too!" Mustard babbled. "Please, don't kill me!"

Todoroki looked at Bakugo. "I think we're done here." He let Bakugo go, turning away.

"Oh god, please, no, don't-MMMPHHHH!"

Bakugo grabbed a fistfull of Mustard's shirt, ripped it off, and stuffed it in his mouth. "Are those vines tight?" he asked.

More vines sprang out of the ground, totally covering Mustard and encasing him in a thick layer of plant life.

"I left him enough space to breath. A little," Shiozaki said, coming to stand beside Bakugo. She glanced at him. "That was clever of you. I almost believed you were going to kill him."

"Don't be an idiot. I'm not going to just murder someone," Bakugo snapped. "I'd have killed him in a fight, sure. But not when he's helpless like that. Now come on. We have to go find Shinso."

"Do you think he really betrayed us?" Yaoyorozu asked worriedly, helping Tetsutetsu back to his feet. The metal boy seemed rattled, but fine aside from a large welt on his forehead where the bullet had struck.

Bakugo grimaced. "I don't know. But if he did, I'm going to kick his ass. Now come on. If he's dead, we can't do that."

They hurried forward again, towards where Bakugo reckoned the camp was. Fires were raging out of control everywhere, but Todoroki was able to use his ice to block the way of any flames that got too close. They ran for a short time until they came to a trail.

"This is where the test of courage was supposed to be," Shiozaki said. "The camp isn't far away."

"Look, there! Is that Midoriya and Hatsume?" Yaoyorozu said, pointing. Sure enough, Bakugo spotted the two lovebirds collapsed on the ground, holding hands in a sickening gesture.

"Come on, we've got to help them," Tetsutetsu said. He ran forward, only for a tree to smash into him, driving him to the ground.

"I thought if I left some bait out we'd attract a few flies!" Muscular laughed, striding out from the undergrowth.

"Yes, you're very clever," another villain, this one dressed in a top hat and yellow greatcoat with a mask on. "I applaud you for your restraint. Now get rid of these pests. I'm taking these two, as I said."

The man in the overcoat bent down to touch Midoriya and Hatsume, and they vanished. A moment later, two glass spheres appeared in the man's hand. "I'll just pocket them. They too have been rejected by society. They'll make excellent recruits." The spheres dropped into one of the overcoats pockets, and Bakugo snarled.

"Compress," he growled.

"Oh, so you have heard of me?" the man asked. He bowed deeply. "I suppose my reputation precedes me. Now, I bid you adieu, as my more brutish companion insists that his bloodlust be sated for the evening."

"You're that kid from before," Muscular chuckled, stalking forward. "I admit, you got me. I don't know what the hell you did, but I was out cold for a few minutes! You should have finished me off then!"

"Crap," Bakugo hissed, stepping back. "The hell do we do now?

"Simple," Todoroki said, raising his left arm as it became enveloped in flame. "We both hit him as hard as we can."

"Come on, little boys!" Muscular laughed, raising his arms in a beckoning gesture. "Are your wills strong enough to face mine? I am-"

As Muscular stepped over the tree, it suddenly shattered as Tetsutestu leaped up, grabbing onto Musclar's legs. "GET HIM NOW!"

Bakugo didn't need any further encouragement. As Todoroki fired off a blast of flames, he leapt forward, getting almost point blank with Muscular. The big man had stumbled, and was swearing as fire engulfed him. Todoroki turned off the fire, and Muscular looked up as Bakugo pointed both palms at the villain's scared face, only centimeters away.

"DIE!" Bakguo let loose with everything he had, and Muscular disappeared in a ball of smoke and fire. Not trusting that had been enough, Bakugo blasted away again and again, trying to aim away from where Tetsutetsu had been. He sensed sudden motion, and leapt up, using the force of his blasts to propel him backwards.

He was just in time. Muscular surged forward, bleeding profusely from his old wound, half of his face a mass of burns and weeping flesh. The villain screamed incoherently, thrashing about wildly. Bakugo saw Musuclars good eye was no longer in his head, dangling out of his skull on a bit of muscle fiber. Muscular flailed about, blinded and enraged. He took out trees with a single blow, sending splinters flying through the air.

"You shall be bound in sheol!" Shiozaki declared, and vine arose, wrapping Muscular completely.

That still wasn't enough to stop Muscular, and the madman roared, ripping at the vines to free himself. Yaoyorozu activated her quirk, and several glass vials fell into her hand. She threw them with precise aim at Muscular, and they shattered, enveloping his head on a misty fog. For a few seconds Muscular continued to struggle to free himself, but then he began to slow. More jars impacted his head, and slowly, Muscular sank to his knees as his efforts to free himself weakened. Yaoyorozu produced a thick blanket, dumping the contents of the jars onto them. A nasty chemical smell filled the air, and she ran forward, tossing the blanket over Musclar's head. He twitched a few times, then finally lay still.

"Chloroform," Yaoyorozu panted, clutching her side. "That should keep him out for a while."

Shiozaki hurried forward, pulling Tetsutetsu out from under the remains of the tree. His metal skin was scoured by blast marks, and he groaned slightly. "He is injured," Shiozaki said. "We must remove him from the field."

"Let's get him to cover and hunker down," Yaoyorozu said, coming over to aid Shiozaki. "I'm spent. I don't think I could use my quirk again for anything more than a pebble."

"I'm not stopping, not yet," Bakugo snarled, running off down the path where Compress had vanished. "That asshole has Midoriya and Hatsume now!"

Todoriki followed Bakugo, shaking his head as he used his ice to make a path he could skate down. "I thought you hated those two."

"The hell does that have to do with anything?" Bakugo snarled, using his explosions to lift himself into the air. "You gonna leave them to that clown?"

Todoroki gave Bakugo a tight smile, but simply kept on moving.

It wasn't long until they caught up to Compress, who was leaping from tree to tree like some sort of damned ninja. Bakugo snarled and forced himself to unleash ever more powerful explosions, despite the fact that his hands were numb and his wrists felt as though they were going to snap off at any time.

Compress glanced back, starting to see the two boys in pursuit. He pressed on though, continuing his mad dash forward.

"I've got you now, asshole!" Bakugo screamed, unleashing a final, massive blast. He shot forward, slamming into Compress. He grabbed the man's jacket, ripping it right off his shoulders. Compress went tumbling to the ground, though he managed to roll and land lightly on his feet.

"If you run, you just die tired," Bakugo panted. He quickly found the small spheres, but to his surprise, he found three instead of two. "Dammit, did you have Shinso too?!" He cracked them open, but instead of finding his schoolmates, he just found leaves and rocks. "What the hell?!"

"Word to the wise," Compress wheezed. His mask had fallen off, revealing dark eyes and a wicked grin. He spat something into his hand. "If your opponents ever make sure you see something, it's just a misdirection."

"I'll kill you and take them anyway!" Bakugo snarled as Todoroki came up beside him, his fist ignited.

"Oh, I don't think so. You see, I wasn't the first back to our meeting place," Compress chuckled.

"What?" Bakugo felt the hair on the back of his neck suddenly rise, and he hit the dirt. Something whirred through the air above his head, impacting with a thunk in a tree trunk behind him.

"Aww, why'd you duck? I just wanted to see your blood. You'd look so cute with it spilling out of your body." A girl with yellow eyes and a snaggle toothed grin stepped from the shadows, another knife in her hand. _Toga,_ Bakugo thought.

Bakugo felt a wave of heat, then cold, and looked to see Todoroki struggling to raise a protective wall of ice against a stream of dark flames.

"Compress, where's Muscular?" the scared man wielding the flames demanded.

Compress shrugged. "The brats must have disposed of him. Where are the others?"

"Already gone. We were just about to go ourselves. Did you succeed?"

"Three prizes," Compress said, holding up the spheres in his hand. "That hero, the quirkless boy, and that inventor girl. I think they can all be persuaded to see reason."

"Good enough. Toga got what she needed before Eraser Head and Vlad chased us off," Dabi said, then pulled out a phone and spoke into it. "Ready for pick up."

A dark swirling vortex appeared behind Dabi, and he stepped into it. Toga skipped after him. Bakugo jumped forward, arm desperately reaching out.

"Farewell, young man. May you-"

A stream of water shot out of the bushes, washing over Compress. He gagged, and one of the spheres slipped out of his hand. Then he fell into the vortex and vanished, taking the other two with him.

"NO!" Bakugo raged. He pounced on where the villains had vanished, tears appearing in his eyes. "No! I can't lose! Not again! Not when it really matters!"

"Bakugo!" Urakaka called. She ran over to him, Kota hard on her heels. "Oh my gosh, are you OK?"

Bakugo sank to his knees, staring at where the vortex had been. He willed for it to return. He could jump through it, he could fight them all, he could save Shinso! He could prove at last he was stronger than Midoriya!

"I thought I told you to get the kid to safety, you idiot," Bakugo rasped, collapsing onto his hands and knees. "You could have gotten him hurt…"

"We couldn't run," Kota said, kneeling down by Bakugo. "You...you saved me. And...and my parents wouldn't have run. They were strong, like you said. And I'm strong too. So is Uraraka."

"I wasn't just going to run away, you rude jerk," Uraka said, kneeling down to retrieve the sphere. "What's this thing, anyway? How do I-oh!"

The sphere suddenly cracked in Uraka's hands, and Midoriya tumbled out onto the grass.

"What happened?!" he gasped, sitting up. "Where's Mei?"

"Gone," Bakugo said, his hands ripping at the sod as his entire body trembled. "They're both gone."

"Gone? Where? What happened?" Midoriya said, his voice rising in pitch. "Where's Mei?"

"The villains, they took her, and someone else," Todoroki said, coming up to kneel beside Midoriya. "Are you OK?"

"Villains?! They got Mei?! No! No this can't be real!" Midoriya babbled he stood up, spinning about. "Where's Mei? Mei! Mei! Where are you?"

"They took her, you idiot," Bakugo said, his eyes squeezed shut as tears began to flow unwillingly down his face. "I was weak again! I'm such a worthless failure! They took them and it's all my fault!"

"Oh God," Ururaka whispered, her hands going to her face. "Oh my God."

Around them, the forest continued to burn. In the distance, Bakugo heard sirens. They screamed to the world that once more, Katsuki Bakugo was a pathetic weakling.


	26. To Be Lawful, or Good

_This document beta'd by Poliamida and kylekatarn77_

_To Be Lawful, or Good_

_Heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences._

_-Brandon Mull_

Stumbling into the rubble of the camp, Izuku looked around, feeling sick and dazed. His eyes burned and his lungs still ached from the combination of smoke and gas. His head pounded and his body was sore from being compressed, but that wasn't what made him feel truly sick.

Mei was gone.

They had retrieved Tetsutestu and the two other girls from their hiding place, but Izuku barely noticed when Mandalay ran over and began giving first aid. She dismissed him quickly enough, noting that he could wait at least a little while.

The list of wounded was long, with Akai being the most grievously injured. She'd been teleporting her classmates out of harm's way with the aid of Ragdoll when Moonfish had fallen on them. Akai had been stabbed in the abdomen, but Ragdoll was missing and couldn't be found. Most of Class B had serious smoke or gas related injuries and a few had suffered burns.

Shinso, as it turned out, was fine. He had run back to camp, just in the knick of time to save Akai from Moonfish.

"He came out of nowhere," Shoji explained. "I thought we were dead. Akai was down, and I could only dodge while carrying Kendo and Yanagi; they'd been knocked out by the gas. Then his voice echoed out of the woods like a spirit's, demanding if he wanted more flesh. Moonfish answered, and then it was over. His teeth retracted, and he just lay there. Shinso came out of the forest, and we managed to get away."

"Where is he now?" Bakugo demanded. Shoji wearily pointed into the camp, and Bakugo and Izuku ran on.

"The hell were you thinking, running off like that?!" Bakugo demanded of Shinso when they came upon him sitting on the smashed ruins of the bunk house. He was holding his phone, staring at it with a dazed expression.

"It's all my fault," Shinso said, still looking at his phone. "Everything...it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault that Mei was...was taken," Izuku said, biting back a choked sob.

Shinso looked up, tears running down his cheeks, his face a mask of anguish. "But it is! Don't you get it? They were here because of me! I was bragging about coming to this camp on the message boards! I told them where I was!"

"Yeah, we know," Bakugo said wearily, sitting down by Shinso. "You screwed up."

Shinso knelt before Izuku, grabbing on to his shirt. "It was my fault! Mine! I am a villain, like they always said I was! I'm-"

"No you're not!" Izuku cried, grabbing onto Shinso's hands. "You're a hero! Uraraka told us how you saved Bakugo from Muscular. And Shoji told us that you saved him, Akai, and Kendo and Yanagi! You could have left them to die, or handed them over to the real villains."

"You don't understand!" Shinso wept, burying his face in his hands as he let go of Izuku. "I told the villains about this! I bet they have all sorts of information from me that they've gathered! I thought I was using them for information, but they were using me the entire time."

"You were getting information from the villains?" Bakugo demanded.

Shinso nodded dumbly. "They told me they'd recruited some elites, Muscular and Moonfish. I thought it was just rumors on the internet. But...but now I think I was in contact with the League of Villains."

Izuku sank down next to Shinso, his mind reeling. How, how could Shinso do this?

"Don't be weak," Bakugo spat, a bit of blood and phlegm shooting into the dust at his feet. "You screwed up, yeah. But now you get a chance to make it right. Make it count. Don't be an idiot like I was. I couldn't save Mei, even though I was right there. I thought I had failed to save you too."

"That's...that's not your fault," Izuku said, resting his head in his hands. "We've got...we've got to find a way to save Mei. And Ragdoll."

Before they could talk further, EMS and the police finally arrived. The students were loaded up into ambulances, save for Akai who was medevaced on a helicopter as her wounds were life threatening. Izuku had his lungs, bruises, and scrapes treated as they rode to the hospital, where they were met by Recovery Girl and other doctors. Izuku was passed over after an X Ray showed his lungs were fine, and a few treatments of albuterol had cleared his breathing. They still wanted to keep him overnight for observation, however.

Then came the interview with the police. Izuku couldn't give them much. He only remembered passing out in the forest, then waking up with a feeling of tightness, like he was in a nightmare. Then falling onto the ground by Bakugo. He almost told the police about Shinso, but decided that he'd let the other boy tell his own story.

At last, Izuku was allowed to sleep. He managed a few hours of fitful rest, but then couldn't remain in bed any longer. It was already well after sunrise, so the nurses allowed Izuku to go out to the garden to get some fresh air. He found Bakugo nervously pacing the grounds, his hands twitching nervously at his side as he was still forced to wear a hospital gown.

"Hey," Izuku said, going over to Bakugo. "Thanks."

"For what?" Bakugo snarled, glaring at Izuku.

"For saving me. And...and for trying to save Mei. You've changed."

"No I haven't. The rest of you idiots have just stopped being so stupid," Bakugo snapped.

Izuku shrugged. "Well, thanks anyway. I… I don't know what I'm going to do now. But I have to save Mei."

"How the hell are you going to do that?" Bakugo demanded. "We'd have to know where the League of Villains is, but no one knows anything about them."

"Shinso said he talked to at least some of them online," Izuku sighed. Then he blinked. He looked up at Bakugo. Then together they ran back inside.

Shinso was in his room, sitting and staring dully at the wall. He looked up when Izuku and Bakugo stumbled in, then lowered his gaze.

"Shinso, do you still have the contact information for the League of Villains?" Izuku demanded.

"It's not like I ever was a part of them, or wanted to be!" Shinso snapped, looking up with a glare. Then his gaze fell. "But...but I guess I was. I played right into their hands."

"No you idiot, listen. You have to have something from them. Screen names, or whatever. You think you can trace it back to them?" Bakugo demanded.

"I mean, yeah, I think I can figure out who the League Members are," Shinso said with a shrug. "But I gave my phone and all that to the police to help with the investigation."

"Take mine you idiot!" Bakugo snapped, tossing his phone to Shinso.

After navigating through the web browser for a bit, Shinso logged in to a private forum. Sure enough, his username was AssumingDirectControlN7.

"These are users I think are League of Villain members," Shinso said, turning the screen so Izuku and Bakugo could see. "LegacyStain, Thirsty4U, and HandOfDeath."

"There's just names, no pictures," Bakugo grumbled. "Why do you think they're part of the League of Villains?"

"Well, HandOfDeath was always talking about how much he hated hero society and All Might especially on a lot of boards," Shinso explained. "He goes by some other names too, but that's the one I know him best by. He started privately messaging me when I...well, when I went on some rants about a year ago about how biased hero society is against certain quirks. And, well, we started talking a lot. He introduced me to LegacyStain and Thirsty4U. LegacyStain...I thought he was cool. He went on about how Hero Society needed to be reformed and how Stain was doing some good. And...and I kind of agreed with him."

"What about this Thirsty4U person?" Izkuku asked.

Shinso shrugged. "She's kinda weird. Posts these really creepy images and talks about knives and cutting people a lot, and how people won't let her just be herself. But, I mean, we got along. This is our own private board here. Only certain people get invited. I was one of them. They said..they said if we ever wanted to do something to really change the world, we should contact them."

"Do it," Bakugo ordered. "Send them a message and see if they'll tell you where their hideout is."

"Ok." Shinso tapped out a few quick messages, going over to some other forums to send messages that way too. "I've done what I can."

"Can we track their address?" Izuku asked. "Find out where they're sending the messages from somehow?"

"Maybe, but I don't have a clue how to do it," Shinso said.

Bakugo frowned. "I think I know who we can ask. Come on."

Shinso put on some pants under his hospital gown, and they went down the hall to where Iida was staying. He had only minor injuries as well, but like the rest of them was staying overnight.

"Hey, Iida, you know anything about tracking phones and crap?" Bakugo asked.

Iida looked up from the book he'd been reading. "I might. Why?"

"We might have a way to track down Mei," Izuku said, pushing himself into the room past Bakugo.

Iida's eyes widened. "Really? Give me the information! I'll send it to my brother. He still has contacts that could find it for us."

"It's on here," Shinso said. "This is all my account information, and the ones I think are connected to the League of Villains."

"Did you give this to the police?" Iida asked, paging through the information.

"Yeah. Everything," Shinso agreed. "We just...we want to try to help. I...I feel kinda responsible."

"Your involvement with the League is regrettable," Iida agreed, which made Shinso cringe. "But it seems like you made a mistake, and now you're trying to rectify it. I respect that. Hold on, I'm sending my brother the information. It's early, but if I tell him it's urgent he'll get right on it."

"So, now what do we do?" Shinso asked, looking around nervously.

Izuku's hand tightened into a fist. "Now we find a way to rescue Mei."

"What?!" Iida gasped. "That's insane! I thought you were giving this to the police!"

"We are," Shinso said, slowly nodding. "But I can't just sit aside and wait. This is my fault. My responsibility. We have to act now."

"Are you out of your mind? This is the League of Villains! We barely escaped with our lives twice now," Iida said. "Worse, if we're caught acting without a hero license, we'll be expelled, or even arrested!'

"Iida, what's going on? Bakugo? Midoriya? Shinso? What's happening?"

Izuku winced as Uraraka came into the room.

"They're trying to gather information to confront the League of Villains and rescue Hatsume!" Iida said, gesturing at the other three boys in the small room.

Uraraka frowned, then looked at Izuku. "You think you can do it?"

"If I can get the Power Suit back, yes. If I'd had it last night...things would have been different," Izuku vowed.

"Those bastards barely got away from us last night," Bakugo growled. "It's time to even the score."

"Uraraka, you can't be seriously considering going along with this?" Iida demanded.

Biting her lip, Uraraka nodded. "Yesterday...I was so close. Kota and I almost managed to get Mei free. We can't just leave her."

"If we go in to fight the Villains, we could be killed or expelled. Leave this to the police," Iida argued.

"You don't have to come," Bakugo snapped. "But what the hell kind of heroes would we be if we just left Mei to rot? Heroes are supposed to sacrifice crap. So what if they expel us? If Mei dies, would you really want to show up to UA the next day and call yourself a hero?"

Iida looked down, squeezing his hands. "You know I was nearly killed by Stain. I felt so alone, so helpless, so useless! I swore I'd never allow myself to be put in a situation like that again. But last night...last night I felt just as useless as I did then." Iida looked up, a determined expression on his face. "Alright. But this isn't just up to us."

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, confused. "We can't ask the police or our parents, they'd never let us help!"

"No, I mean, this is up to the entire class," Iida said. "We've all been attacked by the League of Villains twice now. Uruaraka, get everyone together. As class rep, I'm calling a meeting. We have a plan to make."

A short time later, Class 1A and Izuku and Shinso assembled in the hospital garden, save for Akai who was still in critical condition. Everyone had at least a few minor injuries from the night before, but no one else was too badly hurt. Iida, Shinso, and Bakugo explained the situation. Izuku didn't feel like he knew them all well enough to say anything himself, looking nervously around at everyone's faces.

"So, you're asking us to come on an insanely dangerous rescue mission, to a location we don't yet know, and even if we pull this off, we're certain to get in trouble?" Kirishima asked.

Izuku nodded nervously along with Shinso and Bakugo.

"I'll do it," Uraraka said, stepping forward towards Izuku. "I couldn't save Mei last time, but I won't fail again."

"Hell yeah. I'm in," Kirishima agreed, coming over to stand beside them. "You can count on me. I didn't do crap last night, I just hung back with the teachers. This time will be different. I won't let you down."

"Yeah, me too," Kaminari agreed. "Hatsume and Midoriya have saved my bacon with their gear. I'm not leaving her with the villains."

"Us too!" Ashido declared, and Jiro nodded.

"Mei's our friend. To hell with the consequences. If they want to kick us out for trying to save our own friend, then I don't even want to be a hero," Jiro vowed.

"It's going to be dangerous," Urakara said, looking around. "We could be killed."

"So could she," Todoroki said, coming over as well. "I'm not backing down. I could have saved her last night, if I had been just a little faster. I won't fail again."

"Guys, are you sure?" Tsu asked, looking around nervously. "This is really crazy, ribbit. We should just trust the police."

"Ordinarily, I would agree," Iida said. "But time is of the essence. If the police beat us to it, all well and good. But our only goal is rescuing Hatsume. We get her, and we get out. Agreed?"

"I'm fine with that plan," Tokoyami said with a nod. "This is twice now we have clashed with the League. This shall be our finest hour."

"I'm really nervous," Hagakure said, her voice trembling slightly. "But I think you'll need me. Someone will need to infiltrate their base and find where Mei is."

"You'll need muscle for this," Sato said, stepping forward. "I'm in."

"Ribbit. I guess I can't sit this one out. I couldn't...I couldn't live with myself if something happened to Hatsume," Tsu said, coming over to stand with the others.

"Eh, what the hell, I was failing anyway," Sero laughed, joining them. "Better to go out with a bang than a whimper, eh Bakugo?"

Bakugo gave him a feral grin, and Sero raised his hand. After a moment of hesitation, Bakugo gave him a high five that left behind a small puff of smoke. "Damn straight."

Koda didn't speak, but he stepped forward to stand with the others, standing up straight and puffing out his chest.

"You shall need zum sparkle on zis misshé-on, non?" Aoyama said, grinning and stepping forward. "Ai shall bé ze dazzle zat lights yur wai!" Despite his bold words, Izuku noticed Aoyama's legs were trembling, but nonetheless, the french boy didn't back down.

"I'll be your eyes and ears," Shoji stated. "Count on it."

"Well, I'm just a guy with a tail, but hell, if Midoriya is coming, how can I say no?" Oijiro chuckled.

"Yes. I'm in. Whatever you need, I'll make it," Yaoyorozu agreed.

That left only Mineta, who was looking at his classmates flabbergasted.

"Are you all nuts?!" the tiny boy demanded. "Akai almost got killed last night! I almost got killed last night! You ALL almost got killed last night! How can you even think about this? We're just kids! We should leave this to the cops."

"No, we're not just kids," Iida stated firmly. "We're young, yes. But we've all got the training, the talent, and the quirks. Um, no offense, Midoriya. We're heroes, one and all. We've faced the League twice. I'm done feeling vulnerable and looking over my shoulder, wondering when they'll strike next. Now, we take the fight to them."

"No way," Mineta said, shaking his head. "This isn't worth it! I don't want to risk my life in some insane stunt to rescue Midoriya's girlfriend!"

"Then why even call yourself a man, let alone a hero?" Kirishima demanded. "Heroes risk their lives every day to save people they don't even know! If you can't try to help a fellow classmate, what the hell are you even doing here?"

Mineta continued to shake his head, trembling. "I just, I just-"

"He just wanted to get laid," Jiro said, sounding disgusted. "Of course he won't even risk his own skin."

"He's so gross," Ashido muttered. "Even if he was heroic who'd want to be with a pervert?"

Tears welled up in Mineta's eyes. "Fine! I'll be the real hero! I'll tell the teachers and police what you're planning on and-"

Bakugo leapt forward, using a blast to flip himself over Mineta, landing and blocking the other boys' way. "Do it, and I'll frag you."

"You wouldn't-" Mineta gasped, but Bakugo grinned, lowering his head to the other boy's level, and Mineta fell silent.

"I wouldn't what? I know what you all say about me. I'm an insane bully, right? Hell, I'm just going along with this because I missed a few villains the first time. I fought Muscular, and I'm still here. What did you do, Mineta? Hide under your bed with your porno mags? Don't think I didn't see them in your trunk. I told you to burn that shit."

Mineta let out a sound like air escaping from a tire, and Bakugo shook his head. "You tell anyone, you're dead meat. Besides, they'll expell me anyways. What's another body on the list? And don't bother showing your face in class again. Understand?"

Mineta soundlessly nodded, then fled out of the garden.

"You are one scary son of a bitch," Todoroki commented. "I think I'm starting to get flashbacks to my father."

"Yeah, well, if everyone already believes I'm a demon, why not play the part?" Bakugo muttered.

Uraraka giggled. "I think he's just acting tough. You should have seen him with Kota. It was sweet."

Bakugo narrowed his eyes at Uraraka, but instead of ranting at her simply snorted and looked at Shinso. "So? Do we know where this is?"

"I just got a DM from HandOfDeath. He says that if I'm really interested in joining, I need to go to this address in Kamino Ward," Shinso said, holding up Bakugo's phone. "The map looks like it's an abandoned warehouse."

"That would line up with what my brother sent me," Iida informed. "There's two addresses in Kamino Ward. The others are various VPNs. Looks like Thirsty4U doesn't know how to keep her browsing secure."

"Right," Izuku said, nodding. "The Power Suit is being held at UA, along with a lot of the upgraded gear for all of you Mei and I made. Mr. Maijima gave me a pass key to get in. He...he thinks working on it will get my mind off things."

Bakugo grinned, his eyes gleaming. "It's settled then. We'll all go to Kamino Ward, bust Mei out, and crush the League of Villains once at for all!... What? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Behind Bakugo, there was a soft gasp, then a sudden crash. Izuku winced as Bakugo spun to see a shocked Hari looking at him, the vase of flowers she'd brought now shattered on the floor.

"What...what are you kids going to do?" Hari demanded, her strange eyes gone very wide.


	27. The Folly of Youth

_Beta'd and edited by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_The Folly of Youth_

_Do your duty as you see it, and damn the consequences._

_-George Patton_

For a long moment, no one spoke. Then, swallowing, Izuku stepped forward. "Hari, we're going to go and rescue Mei. We've discovered where she's being kept. So...so we're going to break into the League's hideout, and get her out. No matter what."

"There will be a minimum of violence or fighting," Iida hastily added.

Bakugo snorted. "Says you."

"Hari, please, we can do this," Izuku pleaded. "Don't try to-"

"Izuku I know you miss Mei but it's going to be alright," Hari said very loudly, making a cutting motion with her hand towards Izuku. "Hey Togata I think I found the kids."

"You did?" Togata walked out from the garden wall, grinning brightly. "Midoriya! Shinso! Glad to see you're alright!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Bakugo demanded, whirling to face Togata. "If you think-"

"He thinks that you are all deep in mourning, and has come to reassure you," Hari said, stepping forward and elbowing Bakugo in the gut. "So quit being a rude little shit and shut up before you ruin everything."

Bakugo growled, but glanced at Hari, then at Togata, and slowly stood, not saying a word.

Togata seemed to find the byplay hilarious, and laughed loudly. "Well, I'm glad to see you all in such good spirits! We already saw Akai. She's going to be just fine, the doctors say she's stable now!"

"Thats...that's very good to hear," Iida said carefully. "We...weren't expecting you, Togata. Why are you here?"

"To let Midoriya know that Hatsume is going to be alright!" Togata declared, slapping Izuku on the shoulder. "That information that Shinso gave the police was very useful! They'll soon know right where the League of Villains is hiding, and then we'll move in!"

"You're going to help? Aren't you just an intern now?" Todoroki demanded.

Togata hestated, then grinned. "Well, I suppose I won't be seeing much action! But, Gran Torino and All Might are in on the operation and are bringing me along! As an observer, naturally."

"How'd you meet Hari?" Izuku asked, still slightly confused.

"He um, saw me bringing flowers for you, Midoriya. I thought...well, from what your mother said I thought you were on death's door or something. My parents...well, they're not doing too well right now, as you can imagine. So...so I came to see you. Get your spirits up," Hari explained.

A lump formed in Izuku's throat. "Thanks. I'm...I'm sorry I couldn't save Mei."

"Don't be," Hari said, stepping over to grip Izuku's hand. "It'll be alright."

"Don't sweat it, Midoriya," Togata said. "We'll handle things. I know how you must worry. But Hatsume means a lot to me, and to, well, a lot of people. We'll get her back. I promise."

"So the police are moving on the address I sent them already?" Shinso asked, sounding relieved. "You're moving in tonight?"

"Well, I can't discuss timelines. Just, well, you'll have to wait and see. But we'll move in when we're ready. The League of Villains will never see us coming!" Togata declared, giving Shinso a wide smile. "So don't fret, Shinso!"

"Right. OK. Thanks," Shinso mumbled, sweat beading on his forehead.

Togata grinned. "Well, that's all I have to say! That, and great work! You'll all be great heroes someday! I'm looking forward to working with you all after graduation! Just rest easy, and get better!" With that, Togata left, striding away and whistling cheerfully.

Jiro moved to the door, her earphone jack touching the wood of the frame. She listened for a moment, then nodded. "He's gone."

"They're not moving now?" Kirishima demanded. "What the hell?! They know where Mei is, they have to save her before those maniacs do something horrible!"

"Geeze man, calm down, Midoriya's right there," Kaminari urged.

"No, he's right," Izuku said. "That settles it. We'll get the Power Suit and rescue her." He glanced at Hari. "You're um, not going to try to stop us, are you?"

"Stop you?" Hari cried. "That's my baby sister you're talking about! I'm going to help you. You kids have a ride?"

Slowly, they all shook their heads. Hari bowed. "Well then. Hatsume Motors is at your service! Now how do we get your gear back, Izuku?"

They quickly formed a plan. Hari would drive Izuku and Shinso to her family's shop, where they'd pick up the truck they used for deliveries and pickups. They'd hurry over to UA to get the Power Suit and the rest of the gear they needed, then meet the others and drive to Kamino Ward to rescue Mei.

"Can you get our Hero Costumes?" Kirishima asked. "If we're going to get expelled anyway, might as well get one last use of them."

"Man, I really don't want to get kicked out," Kaminari whined.

"Better to do what is right than to follow evil laws," Shoji stated. The others nodded in agreement.

Getting the suit turned out to be easy enough. The code Mr. Maijima had given him let Izuku into the workshop without a problem. Mei and Izuku had mostly finished the repairs, and closing the panels and slotting in the modules took less than an hour. Izuku felt every minute tick by, but Hari was a competent mechanic herself and was more than helpful in getting the suit prepped. Then they loaded the Power Suit, the support gear, and Class 1A's hero costumes into the van.

"We won't be needing this one," Shinso said, tossing Mineta's hero costume disdainfully back into the storage unit. "I hope the little pervert enjoys being the only one left in Class 1A."

"I guess we never will get into the Hero Course," Izuku said with a sigh, looking back as the truck drove away.

Shinso shrugged. "Does that really matter?"

Izuku looked at the Power Suit, his expression going grim as he thought of all the long hours he'd spent with Mei building and refining it. "No. Not at all."

The truck became crowded once they picked up eighteen more people along with the gear, but by squeezing in they all managed to fit.

"What's the plan?" Kirishima demanded when they were all inside.

"Hit them hard, get Hatsume, get out," Bakugo snarled.

"That's kinda vague," Uraraka said worriedly. "We need something better than that."

"Well, what did you do during the USJ attack?" Izuku asked. "How did you fight the villains?"

"Honestly we mostly didn't, we were scattered all over the place," Jiro explained.

"Speak for yourself," Bakugo snapped. "Kirishima and I fought!"

"And nearly got Thirteen killed in the process," Ashido said. "Don't be a jackass!"

"We don't usually fight as a team," Todoroki said with a shrug. "We work in pairs sometimes but we don't make a habit of that."

Tension knotted in Izuku's stomach, and he looked down. "I think...I think we'll need to work together if we want to rescue Mei. If we go in haphazardly, we could get her or us killed."

"Well if you're so smart you think of a plan," Bakugo said, folding his arms over his chest.

Izuku looked around, biting his lip, but to his surprise the others looked back at him expectantly.

"Yeah, you're smart Midoriya," Kaminari said, nodding eagerly. "What do you think we should do? You and Hatsume coordinated us in the forest, that worked pretty well."

"Um, well, this is a bit different," Izuku said hesitantly. That had been mostly Mei doing the coordinating, not him. "But we should definitely spend the first part getting information on where the hostages are. Someone will have to find that out, so that they can't hurt Mei before we even start."

"Oooh, ooh, that's me!" Hagakure said, her gloves waving excitedly in the air.

"That's good, you can infiltrate their base and see where Mei is!" Izuku said excitedly. "We'll need people to break into the building. Bakugo, you and I are best suited to that. Kirishima, you should probably be with us as well, you can certainly take a hit."

"Damn right I can," Kirishima said eagerly.

"We'll need emitter types for ranged back up," Izuku said, thinking out loud. "That would be Ashido, Kaminari, Todoroki, Aoyama, and Jiro, they can hit the enemy from afar and keep them off us."

"I mean, I think I'm more of a mutant type, but that sounds good!" Ashido agreed.

"Extraction is important. Uraraka, Iida, Sero, and Tsu, you're the best suited for that. You can quickly grab us with your quirks and pull back any injured, along with Mei and any other hostages."

"We won't let you down," Iida vowed as the others nodded.

"Then Sato, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Shinso, and Kota, you're our back up. If something goes wrong, Kota and Shinso can sow chaos in their ranks, while Sato and Tokoyami provide muscle. Yaoyorozu, can you make us all radios so we can stay in contact, and maybe provide long ranged support with some cannons like you made before, or anything else we need?"

"I ate a big meal ahead of time for just such a need," Yaoyarozu said proudly.

"That's the plan then," Iida stated. "We'll follow your lead, Midoriya."

Before Izuku could contemplate that, their radios crackled to life.

"Ok, we're coming up on the warehouse," Shinso said, his tone hushed. He was riding in the cab with Hari, both of them dressed as delivery drivers. They'd quickly spray painted the side of the truck so that it read HATSU MOTORS, and prayed that no one would notice the hasty cover up.

"It's nearly dark," Iida commented, checking the watch his costume had built-in at the wrist. "We'll have to move soon. Time is of the essence."

"Anyone want to back out, this is your last chance," Kirishima declared, looking around the cramped confines of the truck. "No one will hold it against you. What we're doing is illegal, dangerous, and kinda crazy."

"You want to chicken out, do it," Bakugo growled. "But I damn well will hold it against you."

"At least you're honest," Jiro said with a sigh. She stretched, then grinned. "Well?"

"If any of us were going to chicken out, we'd have done it before we put the costume on," Sero said, looking down at himself. "With this on...how can I wear this if I'm going to turn my back on Hatsume?"

"We're in," Tokoyami agreed. "Together."

Everyone nodded, and the truck came to a stop.

"We're at the entrance alleyway nearby," Hari called. "This is it. Everyone out."

They piled out of the back of the truck, hidden from the street by its bulk. They made their way one by one down the narrow passage by rundown or burned-out old buildings. None of them looked occupied. Izuku had to turn the Power Suit sideways and slowly edged his way forward, in some places having to break his way through boards or rusted old chain link fences.

"There it is," Shinso whispered. "Everyone, get ready."

Everyone tensed, preparing themselves. The warehouse was across an abandoned lot filled with rubbish and garbage, but it looked empty.

"Hagakure, you're up," Shinso called. He handed her a special camera rig Izuku had quickly made, consisting of a pin sized camera and microphone package. "This will let us see what's happening.

"Got it. Hold these for me. I'll find Mei, don't worry!" Hagakure said, taking off her gloves and boots. The only sign she was there was the communication piece, hardly visible in the dim light. Ojiro and Sato lifted her over the crumbling wall they were hiding behind, and the soft patter of her footsteps quickly faded. Everyone tensed, listening to their own earpieces.

The feed popped up on Izuku's hud, and he keyed his radio. "You're live, Hagakure. We've got your back."

The camera jerked as she nodded silently, then Izuku watched her scramble over the broken ground, avoiding puddles and debris that could make noise or be disturbed by her passage. She searched around the warehouse for a minute, before finding a loose board that she carefully pried off, then slipped inside.

Inside was very dark, and Izuku switched the feed to low light mode. He studied the screen for a moment, then sucked in his breath. "Hagakure, take a look in one of those tanks there. There's some sort of monitoring equipment on it, so be careful."

"OK, just a sec." The camera bobbed up and down as Toru hurried forward, then scrambled up to the side of the tank.

"Oh my God," Izuku gasped as the camera peered into the bubbling depths of the tank. "It's a nomu."

The hideous creature was suspended in the fluid, held in place with cables, as various medical equipment monitored it. This one was brown in color, and though its brain was exposed and pulsing, it had thick cords of muscles all over its body, and sharp claws and fangs could be seen.

"Is it sleeping?" Hagakure whispered.

Izuku shook his head. "I think...I think they're growing it. Those tubes are feeding it nutrients, and it's hooked up to oxygen at the nostrils and mouth. Whatever is happening, it's not awake. Keep it that way."

"Right, yeah, they're really scary. Let me check the other tanks. There's a catwalk up above."

Hagakure found a ladder and quickly climbed up, then moved slowly along the catwalk. Izuku's blood ran cold as he counted the tanks and caught glimpses of the contents. Nomu. Dozens and dozens of nomu inside the tanks. Each a potential weapon of mass destruction with powerful quirks.

"But where's Mei and Ragdoll?" Izuku muttered, watching the feed.

"There!" Hagakure called suddenly. "I see her, I see Ragdoll!"

Just as Hagakure made to move towards the tank where the pro hero was being held, Izuku had to look away from his screen as he heard a sudden noise.

A low rumbling sound filled the air for a moment, and Kirishima pulled himself up over the wall to look. He swore and dropped back down. "It's the police! I can see Best Jeanist, Mount Lady, Tiger, damn, there's some big shots."

"They're banging on the door!" Hagakure cried. "What do I do?"

"Hide," Izuku urged. "Just lay low and they won't ever find you!"

"Ok, ok, going silent!" Hagakure scrambled back into a corner, crouching on the catwalk behind a crate.

"Well, what do we do now?" Ashido asked, looking worried.

"Let the police handle it," Iida said with a shake of his head. "The League isn't even here. Besides, they're best equipped to deal with it. Let's get out of here."

"Wait, something's happening," Izuku cautioned. "Hagakure, did you see that?"

A figure dressed in a fine suit with a strange mask had appeared in the warehouse, and moved towards the doors just as the police barged in. Tiger, Best Jeanist, Mount Lady, and Edgeshot moved to confront the villain, with more pros and police coming behind them.

"**Such a pitiful display. Do you really think so little of me?" **an ominous voice rumbled.

"You!" Best Jeanist cried, his voice breaking in sheer terror. "Retreat! Fall back, that's-"

The villain seemed to suddenly explode, his arms distending as they morphed into horrific amalgamations of flesh, metal, and bone, and rippling black lines of energy shot out of his body.

Hagakure let out a soft gasp and ducked for cover as smoke and dust filled the warehouse. When it cleared, the police and heroes were scattered and wounded, blown away from the warehouse, and the League of Villains had arrived.

Carrying an unconscious, pink haired hostage.

"Mei!" Izuku cried, and started to move. Before he could though, a streak of blue and red impacted into the tallest villain, knocking him to the side.

"Fear not, for I am here!" a voice boomed over the battlefield.

"All Might!" the students gasped.

There was a sonic boom and an incredible crash, and the students had to duck as wind gusted and billowed across the field.

"Guys, guys All Might is here!" Hagakure cried, sounding giddy. "He took out that villain in one hit! He's got Mei and-"

There was a deafening roar, and a shockwave smashed into the wall, buffeting the students behind it.

"Oh my God, All Might's in trouble!" Hagakure's voice grasped. "They're all ganging up on him! He's trying to protect Mei, but something's wrong. He's gone all skeletal, it's like that last hit from the big villain drained all the power out of him!"

"**You see, All Might? You are but a shell of your former self**!" a deep, ominous voice gloated. "**You cannot even protect one lone child. Now you shall pay for what you did to me all those years ago! Behold, the very public you adore, the one that witnessed your rise to glory, shall not only see your weakness exposed, but your body broken and destroyed for the world to see!"**

Izuku looked up, spotting a news helicopter hovering a hundred feet above the warehouse.

"Guys, he really doesn't look good," Shoji said quietly, a tentacle arm with an eye and ear extended over the wall. "He's down on one knee, and he's bleeding really badly. He looks like the life has been sucked out of him. I don't think he can take another hit."

"What do we do?" Kaminari asked, sounding panicked. "They're beating up All Might!"

Izuku peered around the wall he was hiding behind. He could see All Might, trying to shield Mei, battling against the entire League of villains with one arm. No longer the large muscular man, All Might looked like a skeletal invalid once more, blood dripping from his mouth and wounds. Mei appeared unconscious, hanging limply in All Might's grip. The largest villain, with a dark black mask and an elegant suit, lashed out at All Might with a dozen blade-like projections. All Might dodged some of them, but others bit into his flesh and one even slashed across Mei's arm, making her suddenly tremble and cry out.

Something inside Izuku snapped. "I came here to save Mei," he roared. "And I'll be damned if I just stand here and watch her die!" With a scream of rage, Izuku ignited his jetpack and launched himself into the air.

He activated his targeting computer, painting All Might and Mei as friendlies and the League as villains with his targeting laser. "MISSILES: LAUNCH!"

Both of the missle silo modules mounted on Izuku's torso sprang open, unleashing a salvo of twelve projectiles each, a mixture of HE, capture foam, and smoke bombs. They shrieked through the air, catching all of the combatants by surprise. The black masked villain raised an arm and blocked the shots aimed at him with quirks that distended his flesh into a horrific amalgamation of metal, bone, and grotesque muscle. However, both of those shots had been capture foam, which rapidly expanded to coat him, then solidified to trap him. Two HE missiles impacted on Moonfish, who was flung to the ground, broken and bleeding. Other members of the League were trapped by foam or tossed into the air by near misses from HE missiles, and the battlefield was covered by smoke.

Izuku switched to heat vision mode, spying All Might and Mei at the center of the fray. He landed next to them, holding out a hand to All Might.

"Take my hand!" he shouted. "Let's get you-"

The foam surrounding the masked villain exploded, and something shot out at Izuku. He raised his right arm in a blocking gesture, spinning to the side to try to deflect the blow. What happened instead was that pain shot through Izuku's entire body as his right arm was ripped in half, the force of the blow knocking him off his feet as he spun in the air. For a moment, Izuku's vision whited out, his ears ringing loudly. He looked dully to where his arm had been. There was now a rent in the suit from which blood, oil and hydraulic fuel leaked. The other half of Izuku's right arm lay in the mud, a trail of blood and gore leading to it.

Something thumped onto Izuku's left side, and he turned to see Mei clinging to his other arm, her mouth moving as tears streamed down her face. Something seemed wrong with her, but Izukzu's mind wasn't working, and he couldn't place it. He shook his head dazedly, and hearing returned with a roar.

"Midoriya?! No!" All Might cried. He suddenly surged forward, lashing out with his fist just in time to meet another blow from the villain. All Might screamed in pain, as blood burst from his arm. He continued to punch though, giving it his all and finally throwing the villain back.

"**I see now. You don't even have your quirk anymore, do you, Toshinori**?" the Black Masked villain laughed, striding forward out the rapidly clearing smoke. "**With that punch, the last remnants of One for All have faded from you, like the last embers of a flame that are snuffed out. How long have you shepherded them, I wonder? Where is your heir, now? It matters not. He cannot-"**

"DIE!"

Bakugo landed nearly on top of the monologuing villain, unleashing both of his suits reservoirs of stored sweat in a huge explosion that launched Bakugo back into the sky, but managed to stagger his opponent. The masked man had no time to recover, as a spray of acid followed by a torrent of roaring flame that crackled with electricity engulfed him. This was punctuated by a dazzling laser blast, then a pummeling sound wave that drove the villain to the ground.

Iida suddenly appeared at Izuku's side, his engines trailing smoke. "Midoriya, we've got to get you all out of here!"

"Take them," Izuku gasped, pointing to All Might and Mei. He stood on shaky legs. "I can still fight."

"Are you insane?! Your arm's gone!" Iida shouted.

"Just get them and go!" Izuku ordered, activating his laser module on his left arm. He'd lost the grapple with his right gone, but he still had weapons. "The medical protocol has kicked in. My wound's been sealed with medical foam. Go!"

Iida didn't argue further, grabbing both All Might and Mei and hauling them away.

"Izuku!" Mei cried as Iida dragged her away. "Izuku you have to run!"

"Not today!" Izuku shrieked. He jumped at the villain, who was staggering to his feet. He punched as hard as he could, all the limiters in his suit turned off, metal fist smashing into the mask and shattering it. At point blank range, he activated his laser, pumping everything he had into it and cutting deeply into the villains right arm and shoulder. The wound steamed and oozed blood, but Izuku had to stagger back. Warning lights told him that he'd nearly destroyed his only remaining arm with that blow, and that most of the shock absorbers were gone. Another hit, and his fleshy arm would likely break.

"**What folly is this?!**" the villain hissed, standing up again. To Izuku's horror, he saw that beneath the mask was a scared, eyeless and noseless face, with pale lips and too white teeth. "**You think to best All For One?! I shall slaughter all of you, and rip your quirks from your broken bodies!"**

The villain lashed out with his uninjured arm, and Izuku braced himself. The blow never landed however, as Kirashima interposed himself, activating his quirk and taking the hit. He cried out in pain, crashing into Izuku and sending both of them flying back.

"Him him again!" Todoroki roared. "Don't let up!"

Ashido, Aoyama, Bakugo, Jiro, Kaminari and Todoroki all let loose with their long ranged quirks, Todoroki using first a wave of ice, then a stream of fire. They had spread out in a semi circle so that their quirks wouldn't have a chance to interfere with one another. All For One staggered under the barrage, but then those odd metallic lances darted out.

Aioyama screamed as one pierced his shoulder, and Bakugo bellowed in pain and rage as another slashed his leg despite his best attempts to dodge. Kaminari managed to fry a few with a blast of electricity, but his capacitors finally overloaded, and he staggered, looking dazed. Todoroki managed to erect an ice wall to block the one aimed at him, while Ashido managed to send out a spray of acid to save herself and Jiro.

"Fire in the hole!" Yaoyorozu called, and she along with Uraraka and Oijiro let loose with a barrage from three cannons. All the shots were dead on, impacting All For One and causing the metallic lances to falter.

Sato hurled massive hunks of rock and rubble, managing to hit All For One squarely in the chest. "Run you guys!"

Shoji ran forward, grabbing Jiro and Ashido and hauling them onto his back, running away at top speed. Tsu's tongue shot out, wrapping around Aoiyama and Kaminari and hauling them away, while Todoroki and Bakugo used their quirks to hastily retreat. Tape from Sero grabbed Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, swinging them in a wide arch towards safety. Grabbing Kirishima, Izuku fired his jet pack, desperately trying to flee.

That was when the rest of the League of Villains struck. Moonfish raced forward, his swordlike teeth racing for Yaoyorozu and Uraraka. Tokoyami managed to interpose himself and his Dark Shadow, but he was beaten back by Dabi's dark flames. Oijiro dodged Spinner's slash from his sword and countered with his tail, but was then cut across his side. Before Spinner could attack again, a horde of cockroaches and ants assaulted him, causing the reptilian villain to scream in panic as the vermin Koda had called attacked.

"You will all pay for interfering!" Shigaraki hissed, racing towards Bakugou, his hands outstretched and grasping

"Say's you!" Bakugo screamed, firing off an explosion to drive Shigaraki back, but then being forced to dodge several thrown knives from Toga. One pierced Bakugo's bicep and he grunted in pain, falling back and panting.

"Bleed for me, just a little! You'll look so much cuter!" Toga cackled.

"Release!"

Rocks and broken bits of debris rained down on Toga, causing her to cry out in panic as some struck her in the head. Uraraka grabbed Bakugo and dragged him back, despite his protests.

Izuku felt his suit jerk, then found himself being yanked towards Manga, who was grinning wickedly. "Come on sweetie, a metal suit? You're making this easy on me!"

"Not too easy," Izuku gasped. He picked up a rock and hurled it, striking Magna on the arm and causing them to yelp and lose focus, allowing Izuku to scramble away.

Behind them, All For One rose out of the dust and smoke, his suit stained and battered, his body bleeding and scared, but unbowed and unbroken.

"**It is time to end this pathetic farce once and for all!"** he roared. "**Tomura Shigaraki! Choose those who's quirks you wish to take, for the rest of these foolish children shall die to commemorate your ascension!" **

"I only want one!" a voice replied.

"**Show me which and-"**

All For One froze, and Shinso looked out from behind the wall, his teeth bared in an ugly grin. "Got you, you rat bastard!"

"NO!" Shigaraki screamed. "Stop him!"

Shinso had to duck down again as Dabi's dark flames roared across the field. The rest of Class 1A continued to fall back, battling against the League. Shoji went down, one of his arms burned away by Dabi, but Koda pulled him back as Dabi screamed while mice and rats came at him from every side.

Just when Izuku thought they might win, a black vortex opened up, sucking Shinso into it. He let out a cry and vanished.

"**-of them do you want, Tomura?"**

"None," Shigaraki hissed. "Kill them all!"

"No one else dies today!" A figure flashed up out of the ground, their fist slamming into Shigaraki and sending him flying. Then they fell into the ground again, popping up to kick Magne so hard that Izuku thought he could hear bones snapping.

"Togata!" Izuku gasped.

"No one else dies! Because I am Lemillion! The man who will save a million lives!" Togata proclaimed. He turned facing the League of Villains, a wide smile on his face. "Thanks for saving All Might, guys! I owe you one. Now get out of here! I got this!"

"No way," Bakugo grunted, pulling himself up on Uraraka and cradling his injured arm. "These guys nearly wrecked us, what chance do you stand alone?"

"Better than you'd think!" Togata laughed. He turned serious, looking across the field towards All For One. "I've heard about you. It's time for me to finish what was started long ago, All For One! Today, I am the man who stands, One For All, against you!"

"**Ah, so the heir appears. This is the end game, then," **All For One said. He looked to the void faced villain, who was standing beside him. "**Tomura?"**

"He's out cold, from a single punch, master. I recognize that hero. That's the hero who took down Stain, and defeated our nomu at the USJ."

"**I see. Kurogiri, get the others to safety. You must all fight another day,"** All For One said. "**Tell Tomura, he is my chosen heir. He shall finish what I started. This fight is mine alone: You cannot aid me."**

"Yes, Master," Kurogiri agreed. Void portals opened near each of the League of Villain members "Fall back! We must retreat!"

With varying levels of reluctance, the remaining League of Villain members fled into a portal with their wounded, save All For One.

"**You made no effort to stop them,"** All For One observed, striding towards Togata.

"My first job is saving people. My second is defeating you!" Togata roared. He charged forward, his body turning almost to a blur. All For One lashed out with both arms. Instead of going permeable, Togata simply took the blow, blocking with both his arms. He slid back across the field until he dug his feet in, then with a mighty heave, threw All For One back.

"This is for All Might!" Togata roared. He ran forward again, and this time All For One was still recovering, unable to respond. Togata's fist slammed into All For One's chest, launching him up into the air.

"This one's for Class 1A!" Togata shouted, leaping into the air. The ground cracked and shattered as he lept over 20 meters up to where All For One was starting to fall. He raised both hands above his head, delivering a devastating blow that knocked All For One into the remains of the warehouse, obliterating it and sending a fountain of earth and debris up into the air.

"That was close!" Hagakure gasped over the radio. "But I got out with Ragdoll!"

"AND THIS ONE'S FOR ME!" Togata screamed as he fell. "ONE MILLION PUNCH!"

"**NOT TODAY!"** All For One bellowed in response, both his arms extending out of his body with so much force they sent blasts of air that sent several members of Class 1A flying until Sero managed to latch onto them with tape and haul them back to earth.

"Holy crap," Kirishima coughed. "Where's Togata? Is he OK?"

"**And so it ends,"** All For One rasped, his arms shrinking back into his body.

"Yes," Togata said, popping up out of the ground beside him. "But not how you think. Let's try this again. ONE MILLION! PUNCH!"

Togata's fist rammed into All For One's chest with a crack like thunder. The villainous leader slammed into the wall of the crater he was in, forming a new one and causing the earth to tremble so much that Izuku fell over. All For One's head lolled to one side, and he did not rise.

Togata climbed to the rim of the crater. He looked down at One For All, then raised both hands to the sky, palms up. "POWERRRRR!"

"He won," Izuku panted. "He actually won." Izuku tried to rise, but found that his head was spinning. Stars filled his eyes as the world spun into blackness, and he passed out.


	28. Making Blood

_This document beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_28\. Making Blood_

_The world needs all types of minds._

― _Dr. Temple Grandin_

It was hard, staying still. Mei wasn't good at staying still. When she'd been bound by ropes and locked in the dark place for a day, it had driven her nearly mad to have to stay still for so long. It had nearly been a mercy when the Hand Man and his cronies had hauled her back to the light.

"So, we hear you can make some interesting inventions. Is that true?" the Hand Man had demanded, scratching at his neck. Mei saw that the skin there was cracked and peeling, as if he did that often.

"My babies are the cutest," Mei said, sitting up slightly. "I'm the world's greatest inventor!"

"Good, good," the Hand Man had hissed. "So, what if we gave you something to make your...babies...with. Would you make something for us?"

"No," Mei had snapped. "You're the bad guys. Izuku and Shinso and Togata and all the others are going to come and beat you up!"

The Hand Man had sighed. "I knew she was going to be more trouble than she's worth. What will we need to do for her to cooperate? I thought she had some sort of mental illness or something."

"Autism is not a mental illness!" Mei had screamed. "It's a neurodivergent form of thinking that-"

"Toga, she's irritating me. Shut her up."

"Oooh, I wonder how your blood tastes," the Knife Girl had laughed. And then the pain started. The pain only ended when she blacked out.

She'd awaken later in another nightmare. The Masked one was there, with his terrible hands and voice. But he was there. The Hero. The one Izuku liked. The one Hari, and her parents, and even the brats liked. "All Might?" Mei had croaked, feeling weak and listless.

"Don't worry, Hatsume!" All Might had laughed. "For I am here!"

But then he'd been hit by the Masked. And by the Sword Lizard. And the Teeth Monster. Again, and again, and again. And then he was still All Might, but wrong All Might.

_I am going to die_, Mei had realized. _I'm sorry, Izuku. Someone else will have to make babies with you and keep you safe._

But then, he had come. Izuku, with their cutest, most wonderful baby, had come. He'd come to keep Mei safe, just as Mei and their babies kept Izuku safe.

And then it all went wrong. Izuku broke. Their baby broke. Mei had screamed again, she had cried. There was too much noise, too much pain.

But then friends had come. The fast one had gotten Mei, and taken her away. She'd tried to tell him to go back, tried to tell him to get Izuku and to make sure Izuku and their babies were safe, but Mei couldn't think, couldn't speak.

And now, she had to be still, or the needle would come out.

"The human body is 7% blood by volume," Mei said, trying very hard to be still. "I weigh 50.2 kilograms. That means, I have 3.5 kilograms of blood. That is 3.35 liters of blood. I can lose about 1.67 liters of blood. I did lose that much blood. I need another 1.67 liters of blood, which is 1.75 kilograms."

It was very hard to stay still. Mei stared at the ceiling, and counted the corners of the tiles. She tried to calculate the area of the ceiling, but her eyes wouldn't work right. She closed her eyes. They would never work right again.

"_She's useless to us. We already have her blood. Her vision quirk might be useful to you, master. It's a vision enhancing quirk. Why don't you take it?"_

"_**How thoughtful of you, Tomura, looking after an old man with such filial piety. A vision quirk could indeed be beneficial to me as my eyes regrow."**_

The Mask had put out his hand. And...and something had gone out of Mei. Here her eyes didn't work right. They wouldn't work right again. But it was OK. Because Izuku was OK. They would make a baby that fixed Mei's eyes, together.

Izuku was in the hospital with Mei. Hari said the doctors had been forced to amputate most of Izuku's arm. That was alright. He could give hugs with one arm. And Mei would make him a special baby. Her cutest one yet. An arm for Izuku. As soon as she could move again. Being still was very, very hard.

Especially because Mei did not know how big the ceiling tiles were. That was very important. If Mei knew how big the ceiling tiles were, she could calculate the area of the ceiling. If she knew the area of the ceiling, then it would be able to stay up. Since she couldn't do that, she kept her eyes closed and pretended it was not there.

"Young lady, are you awake, woof?"

Mei opened her eyes, even if they didn't work right. She saw a doggy in a suit talking to her. That was strange, because doggies were not supposed to talk, but Mei would practice her social skills and not tell the doggy it shouldn't talk.

Mei nodded. "Yes, doggy."

"I am Kenji Tsuragamae, woof. I'm the chief of police. I'd like to ask you some questions, if that is alright."

"It is not. My eyes do not work, and I am trying to calculate the area of the ceiling. How big are the ceiling tiles?"

"Woof? I'm sorry?"

"I need to know how big the ceiling tiles are," Mei said, closing her eyes. "Then I can answer your questions."

"I see. Well, I'll be back in a moment, woof."

It was quiet again. Mei practiced being still. She needed blood back in her body.

"The ceiling tiles are each 150 centimeters in diameter. There are-"

"The ceiling is 20.87 meters square," Mei said, opening her eyes. "Thank you. That was bothering me. I am sorry, I haven't had to count things or know how big they are in a very long time. But I can't move, and I can't build my babies, and I don't feel good. I can answer your questions, now."

"Um, very well, woof. Let's start with what happened in the forest."

"I don't remember. I didn't feel good, and then I fell and Izuku couldn't pick me up. And then I was trapped and couldn't move. And then the Hand Man tied me up and locked me away, and-"

Mei tried to tell the police dog everything. At least talking let her move a little bit.

"Thank you, that's very helpful, Miss Hatsume. I'll be going now. If there's anything you need, don't-"

"How is Izuku?" Mei demanded.

"He is...well, he's alive, woof. That's what's important."

Mei nodded. "Ok. How are my babies?"

"Those are… your inventions, yes?"

"My babies," Mei repeated. "How are they?"

"I am sorry. That remarkable suit you and young Midoriya constructed was nearly completely destroyed. We're studying what's left of it, woof. When you're better, maybe you can fix it. The rest of the items you and young Midoriya made, well, some are damaged or destroyed, woof. The rest have been taken. Perhaps we can return them to you later."

"Ok." Mei closed her eyes, trying not to cry. All her babies, gone. But that was ok. She could make more babies. She couldn't make another Izuku. But she could fix him.

The police dog left. Mei practiced being still. She was still for so long, she finally fell asleep again. Making blood made you tired.

_Authors Note: _

_Originally I wanted this story to include more chapters from Mei's perspective, but I quickly realized that writing things from her point of view would be very, very hard, and make it difficult for the narrative to come through. This is because as Mei thinks differently than everyone else, she also perceives everything differently too. Things that make sense to her wouldn't to others, and vice versa, so I've unfortunately had to limit the chapters that come from her thoughts. _


	29. Declination

_Declination_

_Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning._

_-Winston Churchill_

Izuku's eyes slowly peeled themselves open. He coughed, groaning. For some reason, his hand itched. He tried to scratch it, but nothing happened. He looked down. Right. His arm was gone. But it did itch.

The door opened, and a doctor walked in. She smiled at Izuku. "You're awake at last. We've had you in a medical coma for the last 36 hours. How do you feel?"

"Where's Mei?" Izuku croaked, his lips dry and cracked. "Is she safe?"

"Mei Hatsume is resting and recovering, just like you. She will be fine in a few days, as will you, young man. You'll be able to see her soon. But how are you doing?"

Izuku tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace. "My hand itches. And...and everything hurts."

"We can do something for the pain. Here. Drink this. It's just water, don't worry." He tried to raise his arm to steady the cup, but his right sleeve only twitched. Instead, the doctor held it up for Izuku, who greedily gulped the water down. It was barely a swallow, but it felt like a lead weight going down his throat.

"Careful. Not too fast now. This should help with the pain." The doctor took out a needle, placing it into a slot in the IV connected to Izuku's remaining arm. "You need to rest. Don't worry. You're going to make it."

A warm sensation, like a tingling fire, ran up Izuku's arm. His eyelids fluttered shut, and he rode away into sleep on a warm tide.

When he awoke again, someone was sitting by his bed, snoring. He tried to sit up, but it was too hard. "Mom?"

"Izuku?" his mother gasped, suddenly sitting up. She reached out to hug Izuku, then hesitated, settling for a death grip on his left hand. "Oh God! Izuku! You're awake! I'm so sorry, I wasn't here the last time, I had just stepped out and-"

"Mom, it's OK," Izuku said, smiling. "I'm OK. We did it. Mei's alright."

"Oh, oh Izuku…" His mother burst into tears, clutching his hand.

Doctors came and went, and Izuku's mother stayed at his side for long hours, talking to him, mostly about whatever came into her head, from vacation's they'd taken when he was a child to playing in the rain when she was a girl. Izuku let the soothing stream of words wash over him. He drank a little water, and they fed him a clear, nearly tasteless broth. Then he slept again.

When he awoke, it wasn't his mother sitting at his bedside. "All...All Might?"

"Hey kid," the skeletal hero said, cracking a grin. His arms were in casts and there were bandages all over his head, and he was sitting in a wheelchair. What had happened to him? Well, Izuku knew that. The same thing that had happened to him.

"All Might...what...what happened?" Izuku whispered. "I know...I know you were hurt before, but...but it was like... like you lost your quirk."

All Might gave Izuku a crooked smile. "Yeah, well, now I'm just like you again. Another quirkless wannabe hero. Well, in your case, that's not much of a wannabe anymore."

That made Izuku flinch, and he glanced at where his right arm should have been. There was just an empty sleeve, pinned up to keep it shut.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry. I would say that an injury like that would keep you from ever becoming a hero, but frankly, that would be a lie. You're already a hero, Izuku Midoriya. And really, I think I've learned not to doubt you. You'll find a way past this."

Those words made Izuku's heart leap with joy. He looked up at All Might, a smile tugging at his lips. "You think so?"

"Yeah. I do. What can I say? You wouldn't be the first quirkless boy who rose to greatness."

"You said...you said you were quirkless before. That...that can't be true, can it?"

"I'll tell you a secret. But you can't tell anyone, not even Mei. Understand?" All Might asked.

Slowly, Izuku nodded. All Might leaned close, and his voice was barely a whisper. "I was born quirkless."

Izuku started, his eyes going wide. "What? That's impossible! Your quirk is amazing! Everyone has always speculated just what it is, but it's one of the greatest strength enhancing quirks ever!'

"Nope. That quirk was never mine. I only got to borrow it for a time. And, well, that time has passed. My time as a hero, as the Symbol of Peace, has passed."

Izuku looked down. "I guess...my time as a hero has probably passed as well, huh? Have they expelled me from UA yet?"

"Expelled you? Well, I'll let Aizawa fill you in on that one. Summer vacation ends in a few more weeks. They might let you out of the hospital by then. Recovery Girl's paid you a few visits. Part of why you've been sleeping so much."

"But...but we broke the law," Izuku said, tears entering his eyes. He sniffed, then shook his head. He wouldn't cry about that. "I would do it again, to save Mei, to save you. But I knew what the consequences would be. We all did."

"No, I don't think you did, young Midoriya. But time will tell," All Might said. "But I came to say something. Something you need to hear, maybe now more than ever. Young man. You too can be a hero."

That made Izuku smile again. "Thanks. That does mean a lot. At one time, that would have meant more than anything in the world to me. But now…"

"But now a certain pink-haired lady holds the keys to your heart and spirit," All Might said. "Don't blush, it's alright. She's been in a few times to see you. The doctors have her resting again. She's mostly recovered, but she did lose a lot of blood. And...and something else."

"What happened?" Izuku said, feeling a sense of dread overwhelm him. "She's not, she didn't-"

"Her quirk is gone," All Might said quietly. "One For All took it."

Izuku's heart nearly stopped. "What?"

"He can do that. Take quirks from people. That's how he got so powerful. Perhaps you'll be able to learn more later, but for now, just be ready. Losing your quirk can be...hard. I should know. I've been staring that in the face for over a year now. But you'll both get through this. You're strong. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's someone else who wants to see you."

The door slid open, revealing Mei. She smiled at Izuku, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her eyes. The distinctive crosshairs were gone. Her pupils were normal; brown, round, and utterly quirkless.

"Hi, Izuku. I would give you a hug, but the doctor says you are still hurt." Mei carefully stepped forward, taking Izuku's hand in hers. She squeezed it tightly. "Are you OK?"

"I am now," Izuku said. And for a while, he was.

Mei stayed with him as long as she could. Eventually though, the doctors made her leave so Izuku could rest again.

Two days later, he was released from the hospital. However, instead of going home, he and Mei were taken by the police to UA. Izuku felt his heart sink as they pulled up. He knew what was coming. Mei had to come around and help him out of the police car, as he was still weak and learning how to move again with his missing limb.

"It's OK, we'll make a super cute baby for you, and you'll have two arms again," Mei promised. "I think this one should have a flamethrower. Or maybe a grappling hook. Possibly both!"

"I don't know, Mei," Izuku said quietly. "I don't think they'll let me be a hero now."

That made her frown. "Why not? You're already a hero. You saved me and All Might."

"I broke the law to do it," Izuku told her. "They'll definitely expell me, and I'll probably never have the chance to earn a hero license."

"Well then that's a stupid law and they should change it," Mei declared. "How else can you show off our super cute babies?"

"You never stop believing in me, do you Mei?" Izuku asked, feeling content despite the fate he was marching towards.

"Of course not," Mei stated, as if that were the natural state of the universe.

"Well. Then I guess I can live with being your hero," Izuku chuckled.

They were led by the police officers to a large conference room. Inside, Izuku found all the members of Class 1A and Shinso.

"Midoriya! Good to see you're still kicking!" Kirishima called, standing and coming over. "How's it going, man?"

"Mei's alive. So am I. Right now, I think that counts for a lot," Izuku said.

Kirishima nodded. "Yeah. It does. Don't worry. We all agree. It was worth it."

"No regrets," Ashido agreed. "Plus, we got to save All Might. How many people can say that they did that?"

"Whatever," Bakugo grumbled. "It's not like they were going to let me be a hero anyway."

"Maybe if you had a better attitude they would," Urakara sighed. "Now we'll all have to find other jobs. I haven't been able to look my parents in the eyes for two weeks when they visited me. At least they finally let us all out of the hospital."

It had been 18 days since the fight against All For One in Kamino Ward, but the battle had been intense. Izuku had been mildly shocked to learn that no one had died. Shinso had very nearly done so, being dropped into a mass of nervous police who had just finished fighting the nomu. Thankfully, they had asked questions first and shot later. That had been when Togata had been told what was happening.

He had been putting down the nomu, left behind by All Might. Shinso had told everyone how poorly the battle had been going, and Togata had dashed off at super human speed, arriving only moments later. It had felt like an eternity to Izuku, but then again, he had a hard time figuring out just how long that fight had lasted.

"I'm sure we'll find another school to take us in," Iida said encouragingly. "Well, in the general studies course. They have schools for delinquents, right?"

"I don't know, I'll have to ask the state youth penitentiary," Mr. Aizawa said, stepping into the room.

"Mr. Aizawa!" the class gasped, and everyone stood, though many still bore the marks of injuries from the battle.

"Sit down you idiots. Midoriya, you look like you can barely stand even with Hatsume's help. Sit down before you fall over," Aizawa ordered.

Shakily, Izuku managed to sit in the chair, but he didn't look away from Mr. Aizawa, meeting the teacher's gaze. For a long moment, Aizawa looked around the room, meeting each of his pupils' eyes.

"I'm sorry sir, but it had to be done," Iida stated, sitting up straight, eyes forward. "I fully understand the consequences of my actions, and accept them."

"Really. Well, you might be the only person in all of Japan to figure it out then," Aizawa snapped, but Iida didn't back down, staring back until Aizawa looked on to the next student.

"Well, Midoriya, I suppose you're the one who got everyone into this," Aizawa said at last. "Have anything to say for yourself?"

"Why are you picking on them?" Mei burst out. "They saved me! They saved All Might! You should be thanking them! Not being mad at them!"

"You think this is me mad, Hatsume?" Aizawa demanded. His eyes narrowed. "You have not yet begun to see the depths of my fury. Or to grasp the consequences of what you've done. Do you all even begin to understand what you did?"

"We saved Mei," Jiro stated, folding her arms over her chest. "And to hell with the rest."

"Yeah," Kaminari agreed. "I might be an idiot, but I knew you'd expell me. Figured I might even end up in jail or something. But dammit teach, Mei was captured! And if we hadn't gone after her, she and All Might would have died!"

"Plus Midoriya," Bakugo said, putting his feet up on the table and leaning back in his chair. "That moron would have gone after her alone."

Aizawa's scarf snapped out, striking Bakugo in the shin. He winced and put his feet down.

"Yes. And God help me, I don't know what would have been worse," Aizawa said. He let out a heavy sigh. "I asked to speak to all of you before the rest of them get at you. And...well, let me just say this: none of this is a logical deception. So, understand that what I say next is true: From one Pro Hero to another, you all did well. Better than we could ever have imagined."

"What?!" the class gasped.

Then Aizawa slammed his fists on the conference table. "And as your teacher, I have to say I have never seen such reckless, idiotic behavior! You all rushed in like a pack of damn fools! You nearly all got yourselves killed, most of you were injured, some seriously so! Midoriya lost his arm! You should all be punished most severely!"

Everyone looked down. Yaoyorozu was the one to break the silence. "But we did the right thing. And...and we accept the price we have to pay."

"It's going to be steep," Aizawa said. "More than any of you can ever imagine."

"Ai am too prettay to go to jail," Aoyama moaned. "Zey do tairribuhl theengs to ones who sparkle such as I!"

"Oh, it's going to be worse than that," Aizawa stated. "Much, much worse. You'll hardly have a free moment or day to yourself again. The next few decades of your life are going to be a brutal hell, worse than anything I've put you through. I didn't think any of you got that yet, you still thought being a hero was going to be fun. Well, I hope you've had that knocked out of you. Now it's time to wake up, and smell the roses."

Aizawa turned to go, but then he paused, turning his head. "Oh, and one last thing. I'm proud of you. You're the finest group of young heroes I've ever had the privilege to teach. I'll do what I can to help you live up to the promise you've shown."

On that baffling note, Aizawa opened the door, and the Chief of Police, flanked by two officers, strode in.

"Class 1A, woof. You've broken more rules than I care to list. The statues against using quirks to harm another. Wearing costumes and operating as heros in public without a license. Destruction of property, woof. And a dozen more if I bothered to look hard."

"We're not apologizing," Izuku said, feeling more than a little frustrated. "We had to do it. Lives were on the line."

"I could never live with myself if I turned my back on my friends, ribbit," Tsu agreed. "I did what I had to."

"Lock us up, old man," Bakugo said with a grin. "See how people like that."

"Lock you up? I suppose that might be the sane thing to do, woof," the chief of police mused. But that's simply not going to happen. Perhaps a medal ceremony would be more appropriate."

"What?!" the class gasped.

"They don't know," Aizawa said. He pulled out a remote and pointed it at a TV mounted on the wall. "It will be easier if we just show them."

"Go ahead," the chief said with a sigh.

The TV clicked on, showing news footage. It was an aerial shot of the early part of the battle, zoomed in on All Might. He was on his knees, cradling Mei in his arms, bleeding and broken from a blow from All For One.

"-is down! I repeat, All Might is down!" a panicked reporter cried. The video cut away to the studio, where one anchor was speechless, and the other was sobbing uncontrollably. They quickly cut back to the battle, where the camera was trembling as the stunned reporters looked on, the only sound the dronning of the helicopter. For a terrible moment, All Might knelt on the ground, alone, and defeated, and all hope was lost.

Explosions suddenly shook the battlefield, shockwaves rocking the helicopter.

"What is that? It's...it's some sort of robot?! It just jumped out from behind those buildings, it's firing missiles! I don't recognize that, what hero is that?"

"Jesus Christ!" another voice cried. "That's the kid who won the 1st Year UA Sports Festival! What is he doing here?!"

"That's a UA student!? What on earth-oh my God, there's more! There are dozens of heroes now, entering the battle! Is that Endeavor?!"

"No! That's his son! He's another 1st year at UA High! I think...I think those are all UA Students! They...they're saving All Might! They've saved All Might! And they're battling the villains! They're battling the League of Villains, and they're winning!"

The battle raged on for a few minutes, the reporters cheering and weeping by turn as they provided color commentary. They seemed ready to wail in despair as Class 1A fell back before the League, until Togata showed up.

"That's Lemillion! He's the one who captured Stain! He's...he's another UA student! My God, this is just a bunch of high school kids, facing down against the most dangerous villains in Japan! And by God, they're WINNING! Not even All Might could take on these guys, and yet a bunch of high school kids can, and they're WINNING!"

"Look, Lemillion, he's forced them to retreat! And-my God! DID YOU SEE THAT!?"

"THIS IS FOR ALL MIGHT!"

All For One zoomed up into the sky as the camera desperately tried to stay focused on him.

"THIS ONE'S FOR CLASS 1A!"

There was another boom and the camera lost focus as the helicopter spun wildly from the force of the winds caused by Togata's crushing blow.

"AND THIS ONE'S FOR ME!" the helicopter rocked harder than before, and it was long seconds before it steadied.

When the camera refocused, it was on Lemillion, striking his pose and screaming, "POWERRRR!"

"They did it!" the reporter wept. "Those kids did it! They defeated All For One and the League of Villains. We're saved! We're all saved!"

"All Might… All Might has fallen," the other reporter gasped. "But...but I think we have new Pillars of Peace!"

The TV shut off. Izuku felt as though he were floating, watching himself from some surreal vantage point. Had that really happened? Had he really done that? That had been insane, rushing in like that. But…

"People across the nation, no, across the world, are hailing all of you as the new Pillars of Peace, woof," the chief of police said. "If we locked you up, the entire nation would descend into anarchy."

"Officially, and every pro hero who was there will swear to this, you were all there as interns," Aizawa stated. "You were acting under authorization from UA, All Might, and the rest of the pro heroes. It helps that several of you did intern under many of the heroes present."

"Are you serious?" Sero gasped. "That's...that's crazy!"

"Crazier than a bunch of high school kids charging in to save the Number 1 hero, and then go on to defeat not only the greatest threat this nation has ever faced, but also the very organization that's struck fear into our hearts for the past months, woof?" the chief of police asked.

Slowly, Izuku shook his head. "But...but it's not true."

"Paperwork and those present say otherwise," Aizawa stated. "You remember how I said your lives were going to be very, very hard for the next 20 years? Well, you saw what happened to All Might. Guess what? You've all just volunteered to take his place."

"You mean, Izuku really is the world's greatest hero now?" Mei demanded.

Aizawa shrugged. "One of them. But yes."

Mei whooped and jumped up. "I knew it, Izuku! You are the world's greatest hero!"

Izuku could only blush, but when he met Mei's eyes, he smiled. "Yeah. I guess we are now. And that means you, too, Mei."

"Ha! Two quirkless kids, the world's greatest heroes!"

"No. We're just heroes. Our quirks don't matter. It's what we do that counts."

**The End of Book 1**

_Authors Note:_

_I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. This isn't the end of the story, far from it. It is, however, the end of what I wrote before I started publishing the story back in January 2020. As of time of publishing, I've written the rest of this story, but I'll need time to edit and revise to make sure it's up the standards of quality I expect from myself now. There will be one chapter in June that is a bridge between Books 1 and 2, and then Book 2 will begin in July 2020. _

_I'd like to extend a special thanks to kylekatarn77 for beta reading this story. His careful editing and thoughtful suggestions have made this a better, more readable and most importantly more fun story. Special thanks to Poliamida as well for their help in hitting just the right notes in the more emotional parts of the story, as well as reminding me to shut up and let the characters be quiet once in a while. And to my mother, for putting up with my crazy stories for all these years. _

_Thanks for reading, and especially reviewing. If you've enjoyed the story, please do consider leaving a review, and if you already have, thank you so much. It's the feedback and support from the community that really motivates me to continue publishing these stories. And, if you want notifications when the story resumes, just follow this story as I'll continue posting new chapters under the same story. _

_Until next time,_

_Full-Paragon_


	30. A Logical Deception

_A Logical Deception_

_Nothing strong can be built on a foundation of lies and omissions._

― _Isabel Allende_

Meetings like this should have been held with shadowed figures, the air filled with cigarette smoke, in the backroom of a seedy bar, as far as Aizawa was concerned. Instead, he was sitting in a brightly lit, well decorated and ventilated conference room in one of the most public buildings in Japan, the Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice. He'd even had to comb his hair and put it in a ponytail and put on a damned suit and tie for this. It was the sort of semi-ironic humor that he enjoyed. Well, that, and dumb puns. He wondered if Fukukado would have found it amusing. Probably. She thought everything was hilarious.

"We're here today to discuss the events in Kamino last week, as I'm sure you're all well aware," the Minister of Justice said, some government toady that Aizawa had never bothered to learn the name of. "And what the implications for the future are."

"Oh cut the bullshit," Aizawa sighed. "I don't want to be here all day. You want to serve my students up like a bunch of suckling pigs, right?"

The Minister shifted uncomfortably in his seat, shuffling his papers and not meeting Aizawa's eyes.

"Straight and to the point, aren't you, Eraserhead?" one of the small time flunkies asked. "I'd tread carefully. We could just decide to lock all your students up. That one who lead the charge, what's his name? Midoriya? Why, he's even quirkless. What's someone like him doing in a hero program? Should we be discussing an investigation of UA's program?"

Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he looked at the greasy grin of the underminister. He glanced at the name plate. Hanabata. That didn't ring any bells. He was just a minor functionary.

"I'd personally be on board with more than a slap on the wrist for these kids," Aizawa said, lacing his fingers together and trying very hard to not deck the snot-nosed idiot who was grinning at him. "They should face serious consequences for what they've done. And you're free to investigate our program. Midoriya is one of the most qualified young men I've ever had the pleasure of teaching, and I think his actions at Kamino more than bear out his inclusion in my course. Legality of those actions notwithstanding."

"Aizawa," Nezu said quietly, putting a paw on his arm. "Calm down."

"Why should I be calm?" Aizawa demanded, glaring at his boss. "You're just as ready to offer these kids up to the vultures in the media as the rest of them."

"There's a reason for that, woof," Tsuragamae said, taking his spectacles off his snout. "They did the impossible. All For One. A bunch of high schoolers took down All For One. That should have been impossible, woof. The best heroes for a hundred years tried to do that to no success. He's defeated literal armies."

"He's weakened," Aizawa argued. "Wounded. He nearly died in his battle with all Might five years ago."

"And yet it is All Might who is dying now," Nezu said, bringing even Aizawa up short. The room quieted, and everyone considered just why they were meeting here.

Swallowing, Aizawa forced himself to ask the question on everyone's mind. "How long?"

"It could be a year," Sir Nighteye, All Might's former sidekick, blessed with the power of the oracle, answered. "It could be months. But I have foreseen it: he will die of this wound, and he will never be able to perform his role as a pro hero again. But he does not have much time."

"Is there no hope?" the Minister of Justice asked, his voice trembling.

Nighteye shook his head. "He's stuck in his weakened form permanently now. He won't even be able to make a televised appearance for a week or more, even then he'll be confined to a wheelchair. Besides, what would be the point? The public has seen through the charade we've constructed these past five years."

"What about Endeavor?" Aizawa asked. "Where is he? He's the new Number 1. Make him your media darling."

"That's an untenable solution, and you know it," the Minister sighed. "The public will never rally behind a man who is so feared and hated."

"What of the boy, Mirio Togata?" Hanabata asked. "He possesses a strong quirk, is charming, and already has hundreds of fans from his victories at the Sports Festival and over Stain. He'd be preferable to a quirkless boy and a collection of young unknowns."

"It's not enough. We pin our hopes on Togata and we'll wind up right back where we started, woof," Tsuragamae pointed out. "All Might buckled under the pressure eventually. He will too."

"He's not the only young hopeful at UA. He's got two strong classmates, Hado and Amajiki," Aizawa argued. "They're better prepared than 1A."

"Hado and Amajiki are strong, but their personalities do not suit them well to being shoved into the spotlight," Nezu sighed. "Hado is prone to, shall we say, verbal missteps, while Amajiki is so petrified of cameras he wouldn't even participate in the Sports Festival. They're not a good option to help Togata right now."

"Then give me time," Aizawa growled. "They're kids still. Midoriya and Shinso haven't even officially joined the hero program yet. Let me train them this year, give the media a few interviews, and next year we can push them out into the field. They're not ready, dammit!"

"Crime is up 10% in the past week," Tsuramae said quietly, his voice a low, worried rumble. "A man calling himself Re-Destro has surfaced, woof, and the Meta Liberation Army appears to be rapidly reforming around him, almost as if they were waiting for All For One and All Might to be out of the picture. Yakuza groups are becoming active in ways they haven't in generations. We don't have a year."

"People are scared and worried, Aizawa," Nezu said quietly. "This is what we train young heroes for. Give me your honest opinion: Can they handle it?"

Aizawa would hate himself for the rest of his life for the answer he was forced to give, through clenched teeth: "Yes. They can. They're the most promising group of heroes I've ever worked with. They have the skills, the drive, and the moral compass that true heroes need. I've known they were something special, but…"

"Then it's settled then," the Minister said. "Mirio Togata, along with Class 1A will be our replacement for All Might." Only Hanabata looked upset, but he quickly schooled his expression to that of a syncopathic smile.

"There's a few things we'll have to take care of," Tsuragamae pointed out. "They did break the law by being there, woof. I'm not out to get them for it, but it is an issue if this is the narrative we're going to push."

"A simple fix. We shall simply claim they were there as interns," Nighteye said. "Several of them had worked with some of the pros there, so it won't even be that much of a lie."

"That's a bad foot to start off on," Aizawa objected. "And it will only reinforce their propensity for rule breaking."

"Then you'll have to train them out of it, and fast," the Minister ordered. "Nezu, your job will be media management. You have to make UA look good, understand?"

"That won't be hard. People were upset about the USJ incident, but if we reveal that Togata was the one to defeat the nomu and release the footage, they'll be too excited to worry about it," Nezu said, scribbling something down on his paper pad.

Aizawa ground his teeth. He hated the media, and this was going to turn into a circus. Still, there was nothing to be done. He had warned his kids, or at least tried too, what the dangers of this job were. They'd all seen it first hand, at the USJ, and then at the training camp. They'd gone in anyway, like heroes.

They were up for this. They had to be.

After the meeting, Aizawa said his goodbyes and shuffled out of the room. Absently, he tried to think of what to do for his students, and how he could prepare him for the nightmare that awaited them. He'd have to scare them straight, somehow.

He made for the stairs, wincing as he descended. He'd taken some hits himself at the training camp. The doctors had ordered him on bedrest, and he'd rewatched a few of his favorite anime series. He supposed he'd do that again when he got home, he was too worn out to really think straight. A comedy would do him good. Should he watch Lucky Star, or Konosuba?

"Hey, you! Why the long face? Don't tell me, you're developing a horse quirk! Haha!"

Aizawa suppressed a smile, keeping his face neutral as he looked up to see Fukukado leaning in through one of the doors above him, a wide grin on her face as she peered down. It wouldn't do for her to realize he actually found her little quips entertaining. "What are you doing here? Surely you didn't come all this way just to bother me."

"No, I came for a date! Why don't we skip the foreplay, and just get married though?" Fukukado laughed, entering into the stairwell.

"I think I'd rather fight the League of Villains again," Aizawa sighed.

Emi's jolly exterior cracked for a moment, concern wiping away her smile. She hurried down the stairs to where Aizawa stood. "I was worried about you, when I heard. How are your kids? I heard about Midoriya. Lost an arm. That's hard."

"He's alive," Aizawa said grimly. "And so are Hatsume and All Might. Despite the idiocy of my students." He turned to continue stubbornly down the stairs, but he didn't make it very far until Fukukado caught up to him.

She slipped his arm over her shoulders, and despite himself he found that he had to lean on her slightly. "I was just here to register my own students for their license exam. The same one we always go to. I was looking forward to our date afterwards. This was finally going to be the year YOU bought the drinks, you know! But then your students had to go and beat All For One! Geeze, guess I lucked out, huh?"

"It's not a date, it's a professional reflection time where we go over teaching strategies and discuss possible joint training exercises," Aizawa said. Inwardly, he winced. He looked forward to seeing Fukukado for those sessions, though he'd never admit it. She needed someone who could bring the same joy into her life she gave to others. Not an old sourpuss like him.

"Pfff, break a girls heart why don't you. Why are you taking the stairs anyway, shouldn't you just take the elevator? You're clearly injured. And they say I'm the funny one, ha!"

"I need to build my strength back up somehow. They're going to throw my kids to the wolves as All Might's replacements. Someone's going to have to try to protect them," Aizawa said.

Fukukado paused, looking up at Aizawa, shock etched in every line of her face. Then she laughed, slapping her knees. "You made a joke! As if anyone would be dumb enough to have a bunch of first years try to replace All Might! Ha!"

"Emi."

She stopped, fear replacing humor. "Shota, you're not joking, are you? Oh my God. But they're just kids…"

"You know what's happening. You're not as dumb as you act. How far from the brink are we?" Aizawa demanded.

Fukukado winced, a haunted look entering her eyes. "We're closer now to the Time of Chaos than we've been since All Might arrived. Even All For One's power base has collapsed... The old order has vanished, and there's nothing holding up society. But...they're just kids. Good kids, I'm sure, and you're a great teacher, but…" She trailed off, swallowing and taking Aizawa's weight again.

"But we're out of options," Aizawa admitted. "They saved my life at the USJ, and again at the training camp. They're strong, Emi. And talented. The best I've ever seen. In ten years, they would have gotten to this point anyway. I just wish I could have protected them for a little longer."

Fukukado nodded. "Well. I guess I'll have to buy you drinks some other time. Sounds like you've got a lot on your mind."

"Well, maybe we should have our little conference. It'd be good to have someone else to bounce ideas off of. Just as long as you promise to take things seriously for once," Aiazawa said.

Fukukado laughed. "When have I ever done that! That's YOUR job! But sure, I'll buy you drinks. On one condition?"

"And what's that?"

"Marry me!"

"Not a chance."

"Ah well, worth a try. But Shota?"

"Yes?"

"Try to smile. If not for me, then for the kids. After all, All Might's gone. We'll have to make our own smiles for now."

Aizawa nodded, forcing a tight grin on his lips. "Yeah. But I'm afraid 1A won't have much to smile about for a long time."


	31. The Grand Illusion

_Beta'd by kylekatarn 77 and Poliamida_

_31\. The Grand Illusion_

_Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it._

_-Yiddish Proverb_

With the footage of their exploits at Kamino still vivid in their minds, Izuku and Class 1A could only sit and try to understand just what was happening to them. Heroes? It felt as though they should be arrested, not lauded. Even if they had managed to save Mei and All Might.

"So, what? You're not expelling us?" Kaminari asked, sounding hopeful.

Mr. Aizawa sighed heavily. "No, you're not being expelled."

"Wait, so, what exactly is going to happen to us?" Hagakure asked. "I mean, the paperwork might say we didn't break any laws, but you still know we did."

"Unfortunately, you're all about to be punished far more harshly than even the law could manage, woof. What we're going to ask of you is something I feel uncomfortable asking of such young people, even those who have proven themselves to be capable heroes," Chief Tsuragamae told them.

"We'll go over later just how reckless you all were, and the several dozen ways you could have gotten yourselves killed," Mr. Aizawa added. "But right now, what matters is, in the eyes of the public, you're not reckless highschoolers, you're the heroes who saved All Might."

"And me!" Mei added.

The police chief nodded. "Indeed. You have all proven that you're capable, if reckless, heroes, woof. However, there is still the small matter of the fact that none of you actually have hero licenses. But that's an issue for later, woof. For now, I think it best to brief you on what comes next."

"First things first: in a few minutes, you'll all be participating in a press conference," Mr. Aizawa informed them. "We've held them off as long as we can, but the media and public are in a frenzy to get to know all of you. So, we're going to give them what they want. Your costumes are in the other room, repaired and restored for you to change into."

"What about Mei?" Izuku asked.

"She's taken care of. The media...well, let's just say you're about to get a rude introduction to the world of celebrity, Midoriya," Aizawa informed him.

"Fine, we have to talk to the press," Shinso said with a shrug. "But you made it sound like there was something else?"

"Society now is on the brink, woof," the police chief informed them. "Villain groups, like the League of Villains, have gone quiet for the moment, but they're still out there. And you have all just become priority targets, woof. As such, you'll all be living at UA from now on."

"What?! Are you crazy? Our parents will never agree to that!" Ashido protested.

"They already did," Mr. Aizawa informed them. "We talked to them while you were all in the hospital, recovering. Some of them weren't exactly thrilled, but they all agreed that it's safest for you and for your loved ones if you stay in a secure location. I hate to tell you this, but that's how it is for a lot of heroes. We're always a target."

"Does that mean I can live in the workshop?!" Mei demanded eagerly, leaning forward.

"I have been informed by Mr. Maijima that you are, under no circumstances, allowed to live in the workshop," Mr. Aizawa stated. "You'll be living with your sister."

"What?! I still have to live at home when they all get to live at UA?!" Mei demanded.

"Sorry sis, not quite." Izuku turned to see Hari entering the room from the far door, from which the loud buzz of conversation came until she shut it behind her. Instead of her normal grungy mechanics clothes, goggles, and ballcap, she was dressed in formal office wear; a blouse, skirt, stockings, no eyewear and her hair done up neatly in a bun. Izuku realized she was even wearing heels and some jewelry, which was highly unusual for her. "Um, Mr. Aizawa? They're getting kinda restless out there. Might want to hurry things up…"

"Hari!" Mei said, jumping up and running over to her sister to give her a big hug.

"Hey sis," Hari said, kissing the top of Mei's head. "Guess you're stuck with me. I'll be living on campus as well. I um, well, I maybe talked to a few reporters and got myself affiliated with you hooligans, and then this weird guy came after me, and well, here I am."

"A member of a militant villain group tried to assault your sister. Fortunately, there was an officer nearby to prevent the incident, woof," the police chief told Mei.

"You're working at the school now?" Jiro asked, smiling broadly. "That's cool!"

"Yeah, thankfully I only have to play dress-up like this today," Hari said, making a face. "Mr. Aizawa? We really should get them changed."

"Fine. Boys through that door, girls over there," Mr. Aizawa said, nodding towards two doors to the side. "You've got five minutes."

Izuku and the rest of the boys piled into the dressing room, where they found their costumes neatly hung in a row for them. There was even one for Izuku that had a pink and green pattern on it that strongly resembled the Power Suit from the Sports Festival. There was a note pinned on it in Hari's blocky and cramped hand. "Best we could do on short notice. Hope it fits! Your mom made it special for you. -HH"

It took only a short time for everyone to get changed, then they hurried back out to the conference room. Izuku saw Mei standing by her sister, and it made his breath catch in his chest. Mei was dressed similarly to Hari, though she had apparently insisted on wearing her goggles which were grossly out of place with the rest of her stylish ensemble.

"Mei, you look great!" Izuku said, going over to her with a wide grin.

"Well I don't like it, it's not comfortable," Mei grumbled, tugging at her stockings until Hari touched her arm. "I don't like dresses."

"Hey, Hatsume, looking good!" Ashido said, coming over and giving her a big thumbs up. "Midoriya looks impressed too! You should wear skirts more often, they suit you!"

"No, they don't, I like pants," Mei declared. She frowned at Izuku. "I want a costume like Izuku and the others have."

"You're not a hero sis, so you're stuck like I am," Hari informed her.

Mei harrumphed. "Well maybe I SHOULD be a hero, if it means I don't have to wear dresses. Jiro and Ashido don't have to wear dresses! Invisible Girl doesn't have to wear anything at all! That looks much more comfortable!"

"As much as Midoriya might appreciate that, the rest of us wouldn't," Mr. Aizawa said, which made Izuku go bright crimson. "All right, let's get this over with."

As soon as Mr. Aizawa led them out the rear of the conference room, Izuku was nearly blinded as dozens of cameras flashed, and deafened as reporters from across the nation and world stood and started yelling questions. He glanced at Mei, but she simply looked irritated at her clothes still. They were led to a row of chairs, and where Togata was already waiting dressed in his Lemillion costume.

"About time you guys showed up! They've been grilling me for hours!" he laughed.

"It's been only 10 minutes," All Might said from his seat next to the young hero. He smiled and waved at the others, which was slightly creepy considering he was still in his near skeletal state. "Good to see you all again. And thank you. You really did save my life. I don't know if what you did was brave or crazy, but-"

"What?" Mei half shouted. "I can't hear you, it's too loud!" She suddenly turned to the reporters, sticking both fingers in her mouth and letting out a piercing whistle. The questions suddenly died, the press looking shocked. "Hey, be quiet, All Might's trying to talk!" Mei barked.

To Izuku's amazement, the reporters muttered a few apologies, but did in fact fall silent.

"Um, thank you, Hatsume," All Might said. "Togata, if you would."

"Sure, All Might," Togata agreed quietly. He got up, pushing All Might's wheelchair to the center of the stage.

"Thank you all for coming here today," All Might said, his voice weak and slightly breathy, as if he couldn't get a lung full of air. "I'd like to open this with a very sincere thank you to all these young heroes." Togata turned All Might, who gave the 1st years a seated bow. "Without all of you, I'd be dead now. And the League of Villains and their master would still be loose, doing who knows what. You've done what I had only dreamed you could: You've grown into fine young heroes, and you've stepped up to take my place."

Slowly, Togata turned All Might back around. The old hero sighed heavily. "I hate to start what should be a celebration of these fine young men and women out on a sour note, but well, it has to be this way. As many of you have suspected since the Kamino Incident, I'm officially retiring. I can no longer fulfill my duties as a hero. This...this is hard for me to admit, but my time as the Number 1 Hero is at an end. However, I haven't given up the fight completely. I may no longer be able to be an active hero, but I will be working alongside these young heroes, and the rest of UA School's Hero Courses to prepare them for their own futures as heroes."

Izuku felt tears welling up in his eyes, and wiped at them, sniffling. He glanced at his classmates, and saw that they too were all emotionally wrought. Even Bakugo was looking down, a tear trickling down his cheek, while others like Uraraka and Kirishima were openly weeping. Tears were streaming silently down Togata's cheeks, his lips trembling as he attempted to maintain a stiff upper lip, and Hari was blowing her nose loudly into a stained hanky she'd pulled from somewhere. The only one who appeared to be relatively unconcerned was Mei, who simply appeared worried for Izuku.

"Are you OK?" Mei asked, touching Izuku's arm. "Do you need a hug?"

"Yeah, yeah maybe I do," Izuku admitted, closing his eyes as more tears fell. Mei's arms wrapped around him, and for a moment Izuku let himself mourn the passing of the greatest hero the world had known.

The entire press conference came to a grinding halt, as even the reporters were overcome. None of them were dry eyed, and several were crying even harder than the teens on stage. Even the normally stoic Aizawa looked deeply disturbed, and Izuku saw him wipe away a stray tear or two. After a few minutes, Togata wheeled All Might back off to the side.

"Well, um, I think all we can say is thank you, All Might," Present Mic said from the MC's podium, sounding far more subdued than he usually did.

"You can count on us sir!" Iida said, suddenly standing and applauding. "Thank you, All Might!"

Izuku surged to his feet as well, clapping his hand against his leg for the beaten but not defeated former hero. All Might bowed his head as the rest of the class cheered and whooped, giving one last standing ovation for the man that had inspired them all. The reporters joined in as well, their tears forgotten as they celebrated the life of the man who had given everything for the common good. All Might bowed his head, weeping openly and unashamedly. After another minute of cheers, the students quieted themselves, sitting back down.

"Thank you," All Might said, his voice cracked and broken. "It...it means a lot. I know people appreciate what I've done, but...but it does this old man's heart good to see you smiling again. But please, this isn't my day. Your sun is rising, and we're here to celebrate you. Now, I think these fine ladies and gentlemen had some questions?"

The reporters broke into shouts again, only for Mei to stand and whistle again. She glared at all of them as they abruptly fell silent. "Do you not have any social skills!? Raise your hands! Have none of you been at a school before!? You raise your hands and wait for the teacher!"

Sheepishly, one of the reporters raised their hand, and Mei pointed at them. "Yes?"

"Um, well, I just wanted to ask, how did you do it? How did you all save All Might?"

"I don't know that. Izuku! How did you save me and All Might?" Mei demanded.

Izuku stood shakily, and Present Mic gestured for him to come up to the microphones. Nervously, Izuku gripped the side of the podium, looking out at the reporters.

"Well, um, you see, it was what we had to do," Izuku said nervously. "I, um, I think maybe Bakugo could answer that question the best?"

"You were the first one to charge, du-Midoriya," Bakugo said, folding his arms over his chest. "Why'd you jump out like an id-like that?"

"W-well, I mean," Izuku looked down, swallowing, but then he glanced to the side at Mei, who was smiling at him. "I saw Mei. And I saw All Might, trying desperately to save her. And...and he was alone. He was fighting against some of the strongest villains I've ever heard of, and he was doing it alone. I couldn't just sit there and watch him die. Watch Mei die. So...so I did what I had to. And I charged in. And then...and then everyone else followed me. Um, why did you guys do that?"

Kirishima stood up, stepping up to the microphone, and Izuku gratefully stepped aside and sat back down.

"The fact is, we all admire All Might," Kirishima said, putting his hand to his heart. "We all look up to him. I mean, who doesn't? The man's a legend! To finally get to see him in action myself, it was awesome! But then, well, you all saw what happened. That big villain, All For One? Well, he'd be enough for anybody to handle! But All Might had him! But then there were all those other guys! Moonfish, Shiguraki, Dabi, Twice, Compress, you know, some of the scariest villains ever! And I'm not gonna lie to you: I was too scared to move."

"But then, well, I saw Midoriya charging. You guys might not know this, but well, he's kinda crazy. Crazy brave and awesome! But anyway, when I saw him charging, I knew we had to do something. And Iida was the man with the plan! You tell them what happened, class rep."

"Um, well, it was quite simple," Iida explained as he came forward. "We've practiced together before, you know. And fought together, at the USJ and at the Training Camp. We knew each other's abilities, and Midoriya had formed the basis of a plan already, I simply modified it. I would rush in to save Midoriya and All Might, while those with ranged quirks laid down suppressing fire on the enemy, and then our frontline fighters would advance, forming a screen while we fell back. We'd strike hard, then retreat, falling back until reinforcements arrived. And everyone performed most admirably!"

Iida started to go on at length, until Mei cut him off and pushed him away from the mic. "That answered your question! Next! Yes, you!"

"How confident are you in UA's ability to see to your own personal safety, and those of other students?"

Mei shrugged. "Well, I didn't die, and Izuku and everyone else rescued me and beat up the bad guys, so pretty good. I don't know, what do you think, Jiro and Ashido?"

"UA is totally badass!" Ashido declared, jumping up to the mike. "They've taught us so much in only a semester! I'm ten times the fighter I used to be!"

"It's not UA's job to keep us safe. We're not china dolls or some crap like that they're gonna set on a shelf and keep safe or whatever," Jiro added, leaning against the podium. "We're going to be heroes! They don't keep us safe, they teach us how to keep ourselves safe. You saw us in action! You think we can't handle ourselves?"

"'Cause if you do you're totally blind!" Ashido added with a wide grin. "Yo, you're up again Mei!"

"How do you feel about the fact that Izuku Midoriya was originally barred from attending the hero course?"

"That's a stupid question," Mei said. "Obviously our super cute babies would have smashed all those robots and Izuku would have been in the hero class. But! I got to have a friend in class and that was nice. Hey! Shinso wasn't in the hero course either! Shinso, come tell them why that was so dumb!"

Shinso slouched up to the mic, his hands in his pockets. His hero costume was a dark jumpsuit with a hood and mask with Mei's voice modulator built in, though he had both lowered at the moment. "Look, it is what it is. What matters is that UA recognized Midoriya's talent, and mine. Like they say, don't judge a book by its cover. And they're not the only one's who've screwed up along the way. I've managed that myself. So I can't blame them too much. Besides, it worked out. Just imagine what would have happened if that insane suit of his was a little less powerful? His time in the support class did us all good. So quit whining about the past. Just focus on the future."

"Yes, no whining! My dad hates that! Right Hari?" Mei said.

Hari hid her mouth behind her hands, though Izuku could tell she was grinning widely.

"Anyway, I want a better question. You!"

"Is it true you and young Midoriya are lovers?"

"We do play baseball sometimes. It's pretty fun, everyone should try it once or twice," Mei said. "Right Izuku?"

"Um, s-s-sure," Izuku stammered.

That answer left all the reporters looking mystified, which made Izuku feel grateful.

"That was also a dumb question. No one has asked a single one about my babies! I am very disappointed in all of you. You'd better start asking better ones or we're all going to get bored. We're still hurt and stuff. So, anyone have any good questions?"

"How exactly did you create that robotic suit and the rest of that support gear?"

"Finally! A good question! Izuku! Tell them about how we make all our babies!"

"Um, well, Mei's always been a really good inventor," Izuku said, feeling nervous now that everyone was looking at him again. "And well, she made some cool gear for everyone else. Kaminari! You tell them."

"What, me?" Kaminari shrugged and stood. "Look, Hatsume's like, crazy smart. I talked to some of the other kids in the support course, and she totally built the original version of that thing in her garage or something with just Midoriya and a box of scraps! I can't even figure out how to put together lego sets unless I read the directions like five times, so how does she do it? Heck if I know! But they made this totally awesome collar for me, see?"

Kaminari took off his capacitor band and held it up. "So, like, when I use my electricity and stuff it's pretty random, and it can actually fry my own brain, makes me dumb, ha ha Kirishima, dumber, for a while. But Midoriya and Hatsume whipped this up in their spare time between making missiles and lasers and I don't even know what else. It's pretty sweet. Oh! And this!"

Kaminari held up a device that appeared to be some sort of disc launcher. "This thing shoots out like, magnets or something. I dunno. But when I fire off my electricity it's totally attracted to it and I don't just zap people all over the place. Neat huh! Anyway, Hatsume and Midoriya are totally geniuses and that's how they make all the stuff, cause they're awesome. And yes, they're cute or whatever, Hatsume would probably make me explode or something if I didn't say that."

"Just for that, I'm going to make you some even cuter babies to make your quirk even more awesome, Kalimari!"

"It's Kaminari? Or Denki, we're friends now and stuff," Kaminari told Mei.

"Right, Kaminari. I am very bad with names! Ok, I am very tired, so you get one more question."

"This one's for Todoroki. How does your father, Endeavor feel about this?"

"You should ask him," Todoroki said. Then he stood and stretched. "I am tired, and hungry. Let's go."

"Bye everybody!" Urakara said, jumping up and waving. "Thanks for coming! And don't worry, we'll all be super awesome heroes and stuff! Oh, and a big hand for Togata, he totally saved the day for us!"

The class clapped politely for Togata, who smiled and flexed. "It was all in a day's work for me, Lemillion, the man who will save a million lives! But I agree, it's time to eat! Let's go!"

"Wait, we have more questions!" one of the reporters called. "We were promised a full press conference!"

"I think they're done here," Aizawa said, coming over to the mic. "You can ask the teachers here any questions if you still have them. They're all still recovering, and need to settle into their new living arrangements."

The students quickly piled out of the conference room and headed for the cafetiera, laughing and chatting.

"Hatsume that was so great how you handled all of them!" Hagakure said, coming up and giving Mei an enthusiastic thumbs up. "I would have been so nervous to have everyone looking at me!"

"Why? They can't see you," Mei pointed out.

Hagakure laughed. "I know, but I forget that sometimes! Just having everyone staring at me makes me think my invisibility would just turn off, and then I'd be standing there with no clothes on but these gloves and boots!"

"Alright kiddos, listen up!" Hari ordered once they were all outside. "You've all been assigned to dorm 1A. I know, I know, we worked very hard to be creative with the names and stuff. I get to be your 'dorm mom' or whatever."

"Big sis Hari!" several of the girls cheered, which made Hari blush.

"Hey, just remember, the only reason I took this job is it beats prison," Hari scolded, which got quite a bit of laughter. She cleared her throat to get everyone to calm down, then continued. "Right, so, your parents are here for the day to help you move in and stuff. We'll talk about visiting hours and stuff later, but for now, you're restricted to campus until we figure out what to do with you all."

"Zis eez impossibuhl! How can ai dény ze rest of le whirld of moi?" Aoiyama demanded.

"Listen Princess Sparkles, it's either that or face the threat of having some rando bust into your house in the middle of the night and attack you and your family, or getting jumped on the street. Maybe a tough kid like you can handle it but it scared the hell out of me," Hari stated. She sighed. "Look, I know, it sucks and all. And...and I have to say thank you, because you kids did save Mei. I owe you one for that. But don't think that means I'm going to let you sneak out or whatever! Now come on, I want to get changed out of this monkey suit."

Their new dorm was situated in a cluster of such buildings, all identical and built primarily from cement that looked nearly fresh. Izuku guessed that Mr. Ishiyama had been busy over the past two weeks. Outside of their dorm, the students spied their parents and other relatives gathered, and ran over to meet them. Izuku hurried towards his mother, who nearly tackled him in a tight embrace as she wept.

"Izuku, I was so, so worried about you," she cried, sniffling loudly. She reached a hand up, cupping Izuku's face. Her eyes darted towards his empty sleeve, but then jerked away, as if seeing that were too painful. "It's good to see you up and about."

"Mom, you saw me this morning before I left the hospital," Izuku said, giving her an awkward one armed embrace.

"Yes, well, I mean, you're finally up and about. But...but you can't come back home. I...I wanted to tell them you were being withdrawn, that there was no way you could become a hero now, not with...well, with how hurt you got."

"It's OK, mom," Izuku said. He wiggled the stump of his arm slightly. "I'm going to have to live with it. But, it was worth it. I would have given up a lot more to save Mei."

"There wouldn't be much of you left if you did," his mother sighed. "But, well, it wasn't the teacher's arguments that made me change my mind. Here." Digging in her purse, his mother pulled out several letters. A few of them were slightly rumpled and had water stains on them, which Izuku knew meant his mother had been crying as she read them. They were all addressed to him, but Izuku didn't mind the thought that his mom had looked at them first.

Awkwardly, Izuku took a couple in one hand, trying to figure out how to read them.

"Oh, here, um, let me," Inko held up the first letter, spreading it out so Izuku could lean down and read it. It was scrawled awkwardly in hiragana, and a picture of the Power Suit flying through the air with All Might and Mei riding on it was included in bright crayon, and was smudged in many places with water stains.

"_Dear Mr. Super Robot Hero Midoriya,_

_Thanks for saving All Might. He's my favorite Hero! I have loved him very much since I was a baby. I was very scared when he was hurt on TV. My mommy almost made me turn it off. But then you came! You were super cool and saved him and the girl! Thank you so much! You are now my favorite hero. Please get action figures soon._

_Shinji Yamamoto"_

"That one reminded me of you, when you were still this big," Inko said softly, making a gesture next to her hip.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffed, but she showed Izuku the next letter. This one was painted in kanji, a beautiful work of calligraphy on expensive paper that had been neatly folded, though it too bore several blotches at the edges. There was a photograph attached, a girl a few years younger than Izuku, standing beside a science fair project poster and smiling to show her braces, the project appearing to be some sort of chemistry experiment.

"_Dear Mr. Midoriya,_

_Words cannot express how much it meant to me when you won the UA Sports Festival, or when you showed up in Kamino Ward and led the charge to save All Might. You see, I am quirkless too. I am in Year 7, and I've always dreamed of being a hero. Everyone tells me I can't do it, that it's too dangerous, or too hard, or that I should just do something else. But I refuse to back down! I was nearly going to give in, until you stood up on that podium and told the world that I too could be a hero!_

_And then there was the Kamino Incident, as the news stories are calling it. I watched along with the rest of the nation, terrified that All Might, the Symbol of Peace and the hero I once admired most stood there, beaten and battered, nearly dead. Then you came in! You flew through the sky, not with a quirk, but with something you had made yourself. And you stood there, against the most terrifying villain I've ever seen, and you didn't back down! I saw what happened to your arm, and I was horrified, but still you didn't back down. You fought! You saved All Might, you saved Ms. Hatsume, and you proved to the world that quirkless people can be heroes too!_

_Please, please, don't give up! I don't know what or how you can do it, with your terrible injuries, but I'm begging you, as your biggest fan, please don't give up! Show the world that quirkless people can be heroes too, and that they can do anything if they set their minds to it!_

_Your biggest fan, _

_Hana Kenishiro"_

"There's more," Inko whispered. "A lot more. I left...I left them in a box in your room. I set it up just the way it was back home! If you need anything, please, let me know. I-I can only stay for a few more hours, then they want us to go home. But...but I'll visit as often as I can! Hari says she'll be around, she seems like a wonderful young woman who can take care of you. Just...just be careful, OK Izuku? I...it tore my heart out, to see you hurt like that. After reading these letters though...I won't stop you. I'll continue to support you, for all those years I didn't, no matter what you decide. OK, Izuku?"

"Thanks, mom," Izuku said, his own voice hoarse as tears ran down his face. He hugged her as tightly as he could, careful not to crumple those precious letters.

_Authors note: _

_Welcome to Book 2. This is the middle of the story, and it's going to be a bit darker and mature than the more innocent days back when Izuku and Mei were just starting off with their dream. This is also the point where we wave a fond farewell to canon, as events will not be playing out in the order you might be familiar with. _

_I hope you enjoy reading this part of the story as much as I did writing it. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. _


	32. Rebuilding

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_32\. Rebuilding_

_Why do we fall sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up._

_-Alfred Pennyworth, Batman Begins_

True to his mother's word, Izuku's room had been set up nearly exactly how it had been at home, with shelves of circuit boards and wiring, a worktable and narrow bed, a bookshelf with textbooks and reference materials, and a small dresser for his clothes and various small knick knacks.

Inko visited for a short time, but seeing that Izuku was already exhausted, she let him be after he assured her he would be fine. He'd just sat down on his bed, realizing he had no idea how he was going to undress himself. The nurse at the hospital had helped him earlier, and Shinso had helped Izuku into his costume. He was just about to give up and lay down dressed when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open," Izuku called.

Mr. Hatsume slid the door open, looking around. He spied Izuku and smiled. "Mind if we talk for a moment, son?"

"No please, have a seat," Izuku said, trying to stand up.

"Relax son, take it easy. You still look as beat to crap as you did back in the hospital," Mr. Hatsume told him. He and the rest of the Hatsume family had visited Izuku a few times, though their visits had been necessarily brief.

"First, I can't thank you enough again for what you've done for Mei," Mr. Hatsume said, easing his bulk into the chair. He fiddled with his ball cap, looking around the small room nervously.

"I told you already, I was happy to do it. And Mr. Hatsume? It was worth it."

"I told you to call me dad or Shu," he growled, though it was a friendly tone. "Anyone who saves the life of my baby girl has more than earned that, and you've been family for a long time now son."

"Thanks...dad," Izuku said, blushing and looking down.

"You heard from Mr. Midoriya?" Shu asked quietly.

Izuku nodded. "We talked on the phone for a little bit. It was...awkward. He said if I needed anything to let him know, but…"

"But what you need is a hand, literally, and he ain't here."

Izuku could only nod, feeling his throat tighten slightly. They sat in silence for a long minute, the only sound that of Shu rubbing the fabric on his cap. At last, he spoke up again. "Look, Izuku, the truth is, I am here to offer you a hand. Whatever you need. I don't know if I can ever replace that arm you lost, but you'll be taken care of, looked after. The Hatsume family owes you a great debt."

That made Izuku smile. "I appreciate it, but I think I'll manage on my own. I um, am having some trouble with this zipper. If...if you could help me out of the costume..?"

"Oh, right, of course. Here." Gently, Mr. Hatsume helped Izuku undress, then change into more comfortable clothes. It was awkward and strange, but Izuku realized that he was going to have to learn how to operate with one hand, and that for at least a short time he'd need a lot of extra help, especially as he'd previously been right handed.

"I know it will be kinda weird, but Hari's here to help if you need it," Shu told Izuku once they'd managed to get him changed. "And Mei too. It might embarrass you, but I don't think Mei really cares one way or the other about people being naked. We had a hell of a time getting her to wear clothes when she was really little, and she kept getting in trouble in kindergarten for...well, that's a story for another time."

"Um, thanks. I...I'm going to need a lot of help until I figure this out," Izuku agreed.

"Yeah. You still set on being a hero?" Shu asked.

Izuku nodded firmly. "More than ever."

"Well, if anyone can do it, you can, son. Hell, you were the first quirkless hero, maybe you'll be the first one armed one too. But anyway, they're having the other kids head over to the mess hall to eat. You feel up to that?" Shu asked. Izuku decided not to mention Fullmetal, Shanks, or any of the other pros who had operated without both arms, taking the kind sentiment for what it was.

"No, I think I need to lie down for a bit," Izuku said. "Thanks for the help. I...I will talk to Hari and Mei, and maybe some of the other boys. At least until I figure out how to get things done one handed."

"Of course," Shu stood, putting his cap back on his head. "Well, you get some rest. I'll make sure they feed you something when you wake up."

Izuku dozed off for a few hours, and when he woke he slowly drifted up out of consciousness, feeling groggy. He nearly went back to sleep, as a soothing humming filled his ears. Then he cracked his eyes open, realizing who had to be the source of the tuneless sound. Sure enough, Mei was sitting at his workbench, tinkering with something and humming to herself.

Izuku smiled, feeling at peace. He stirred, and Mei looked up. "Hey, you're awake! Great! I need to get your measurements."

"My measurements?" Izuku asked.

"Yep!" Mei sprang onto Izuku's bed, and began feeling his arm.

The sudden proximity to her brought Izuku fully awake, in more ways than one. "Mei! What are you doing?"

"I told you, getting your measurements. Hmm, now the other one." Mei began to feel and prod at Izuku's stump, until he let out a yelp of pain. "Oh! Sorry, sorry, here, I'll be gentle."

"Mei, why do you need to feel my arms?" Izuku asked, feeling puzzled.

"So I can make you a new one of course! This time, with a flamethrower. I believe they are very practical."

Izuku's heart skipped a beat. "A new arm?"

"Yep! You bet!" Mei pointed to Izuku's table, and on it he saw the basic frame of a human arm, though in metal and wires instead of in flesh and blood. "It should only take me a few days! I'm adapting the neural interface you made for the Power Suit."

"That would be incredible," Izuku said, struggling into a sitting position. Then he blushed. "But, um, actually, I need your help in a different way right now."

"Ok, what's that?"

"I, er, I need to use the bathroom."

True to her father's prediction, Mei was rather blaise about helping Izuku to the nearest shared bathroom. He did manage to unbutton his pants on his own and rebutton after, but it took a lot of fumbling and struggling to do it, the fingers of Izuku's left hand clumsy and unsure of their role. Mei waited patiently though, and took Izuku back to his room, where she happily produced two take out boxes.

"Dad told me to make sure you ate! And also me, so this time I did remember!"

"Thanks," Izuku said gratefully. And quickly discovered that he had no idea how to use chopsticks left handed. He ended up managing, arduously scooping the rice up or spearing the chicken and vegetables. He probably could have just used his hand to eat and Mei wouldn't have cared, but the idea of neatness was important to Izuku.

After that, Izuku tried to help Mei with the arm, but found he couldn't do much of anything aside from offer advice, which quickly frustrated both him and Mei. He ended up simply going back to bed, dozing off to more of Mei's humming.

The next few days Izuku spent a great deal of time sleeping and resting, with short intervals of working with Mei in his room. Recovery Girl came by once or twice a day to see to his wounds, and soon enough he was fully recovered, at least as much as he could be considering he was now short an arm.

There were twenty one students in the 1A dorms, with Hari and Mei sharing a room, and the rest of the students from the Kamino Incident on various floors. To few people's surprise, Mineta had dropped out, transferring to the Hero Course at another school. No one seemed upset at the news.

Akai on the other hand, would be missed, but following her extensive injuries from the Training Camp attack her parents had withdrawn her. She would end up missing an entire year of school, as one of her lungs had been damaged and her spine injured. Frankly, Izuku was shocked his mother hadn't tried to do the same thing, even with all the letters.

What he did start was physical therapy, for several hours a day. He had to re-learn how to do nearly everything, from writing to eating to dressing himself. Mei was working on an artificial limb for him, but it was turning out to be far more complicated than either of them had anticipated. For one thing, they had to wait for the limb to fully heal, which even with Recovery Girl's help had only just happened. Izuku's arm had been amputated only inches below the shoulder, and there wasn't much tissue left to build an arm from.

"Frankly you're going to be lucky to get much use out of any prosthetic for a good long while," the therapist informed him. "Honestly I think you should consider dropping out of the Hero Program, until you fully recover."

Izuku seriously pondered not bothering with physical therapy anymore after that, but decided that while he wasn't about to listen to that kind of advice, he did need help learning how to get through life with only one arm, at least for the time being.

That week, other students started to filter back in to fill up the other dorms, as apparently UA had fully converted to a boarding school. Izuku didn't worry about that much, instead focusing on his training and recovery.

Shinso came by his room at least once a day, and did manage to drag Izuku back to his own room a few times for some video game sessions. He had several consoles hooked up to a small TV across from a futon, and a wide variety of games. While it was a serious struggle for Izuku to figure out how to use a controller one handed, his natural level of competitiveness and Shinso's own refusal to go easy on him got Izuku to quickly adapt to it.

The most surprising thing was that Shinso infrequently managed to convince Bakugo to join them for a round of games. Izuku was at least a little surprised to find out that Bakugo was downright terrible at video games in general, apparently having played very little of them growing up. He never stayed for more than a few games, quickly growing frustrated as he always lost to Shinso, and even occasionally Izuku. During the games Bakugo would swear, rant, and shout at the screen, which only led to Shinso laughing at him.

"Oh screw you!" Bakugo snarled after a round of Hero Fight VI where he'd been particularly trashed by Shinso. He tossed his controller to the side, clearly frustrated. He stomped to the door, but then paused. "That was...fun. Thanks." But then he slammed the door after him, a small explosion leaving a faint whiff of smoke in the air.

More often, Kirishima and Kaminari invited themselves over to play, with Ashido and Jiro joining in a few times as well. Shinso didn't seem to mind, offering everyone a controller and a place to sit and enjoy themselves.

"Damn dude, you have the most fun room here," Kaminari said after an hour-long session. "I should have gotten a console instead of just a PC."

"Honestly I had to go out and buy the extra controllers. I always just used to play online, no one ever wanted to play with me," Shinso commented.

"Why not? You're chill and this is pretty fun," Jiro said, her head hanging upside down off the futon as she tapped on her controller.

"I haven't always been the warm and fuzzy type," Shinso replied.

"Well, don't start now, that'd scare the hell out of us," Kirishima laughed.

The door opened, and Mei poked her head in. "Izuku! I need you! I think I've finished your arm!"

"No way, can we see?" Ashido asked, dropping her controler and standing up.

"Yes, I am not ready to install it yet, but I need to make sure it fits properly," Mei informed them.

They hurried back to Mei's room, where Hari was waiting with the finished arm.

"It does not currently have a flamethrower," Mei informed Izuku. "But I did install a place for a weapon's module."

"I told her she wasn't going to turn you into some sort of killer cyborg," Hari told Izuku, holding up the arm. "At least not on the first go around."

"It looks amazing," Izuku said, gingerly taking the arm in his hand. Much of the work on the arm Izuku recognized, being largely based on the construction they'd done on the Power Suit. It would be able to lift far more than a normal human arm and be more durable as well. A part of Izuku wanted to pretend he was being upgraded, but more of him was still numb with pain at the loss of his limb.

"Well come on Midoriya, put it on!" Kirshima encouraged.

"Here, like this," Mei said, taking the arm and rolling up Izuku's sleeve. For once, she was gentle, carefully securing the arm into place with straps and buckles over the still tender flesh.

Izuku glanced down, and imagined flexing the arm. To his shock, it twitched slightly, and he gasped in surprise.

"Hold still, I'm not finished," Mei scolded. She finished adjusting, then smiled at stepped back. "There! It looks perfect.

Izuku gingerly shifted his shoulder, imagining himself moving the arm. It twitched and moved a bit, causing the others to cheer.

"Wow, way to go Hatsume! You'll have Midoriya back in one piece in no time!" Ashido said, giving Mei a quick hug.

Mei frowned slightly, shaking her head. "It's not the same. Normally I like making cute babies, but...but this one hurt."

"It's ok Mei, look!" Izuku said. Slowly, by concentrating, he was able to lift the arm up and jerkily wave.

"How'd you do that?" Jiro asked, peering at Izuku's new arm curiously.

"There's sensors in the joint based on the neural interface you made for the Power Suit," Mei said. "I think maybe you should look at what I made, it obviously isn't working properly right now."

"Hey, take it easy Mei," Hari told her sister. "The doc said it would take a while for Izuku to get used to a prosthesis, and he's not totally healed yet. You did good."

"I should have made the Power Suit stronger," Mei said, hugging herself and scowling. "Then Izuku wouldn't have lost the arm in the first place."

Shinso suddenly coughed loudly. "Well, that looks pretty cool. Good job Mei. Come on, let's give them some privacy."

The others made similar noises, complimenting Mei and congratulating Izuku, then filed out, leaving Izuku alone with Mei and Hari.

Awkwardly, Izuku hugged Mei, trying to control his new limb but not apply too much pressure. Mei sagged into him, and Izuku saw she was crying.

"Hey, maybe we could work on some goggles for you," Izuku offered. "You helped me with my arm. Now we can try to fix your eyes, too."

"They don't work right anymore," Mei whispered, burying her face in Izuku's chest. "They've always worked, but now I can barely see. They tell me my vision is normal, but this isn't normal."

Izuku looked to Hari, who sighed. "She's got 20/20 vision now. Thing is, she used to have better eyes than a hawk." Hari lifted up her own goggles, exposing her own odd pupils. Instead of crosshairs, her's were concentric circles. "My quirk's about the same as her's, um, was, though I'm better at zooming in on things than I am at looking at stuff that's far away. She could do both."

"And now it doesn't work. The Mask took it away, Izuku," Mei said, looking up at him. Instead of crosshair pupils with yellow iris, now her eyes were the same brown as her mothers with typical rounded pupils.

"I know, Mei," Izuku said, closing his eyes. He let his prosthetic fall to his side, gripping Mei tightly with flesh and blood. "But I still have you. It was worth the arm."

"And I think I like you better than my eyes," Mei sniffed. "But I didn't want to have to choose. So...let's make super cute babies for each other."

Gently, Mei took off Izuku's arm, cradling it in her hands. "You make the goggles, Izuku. Hari can help you if you need more hands. I'll take care of your arm. That way, we can use each other's babies."

"Whatever you need," Hari told Izuku, nodding. "I'm not a genius, just a mechanic, but I do know how to follow some plans."

Izuku just nodded, squeezing Mei tightly. They'd both had to sacrifice a lot, but in the end, Izuku's had been a price worth paying. He just wished he could have somehow been faster.


	33. A Semblance Of Normalcy

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_33\. A Semblance of Normalcy_

"_Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."_

― _**Mark Twain**_

The next day was the first of the new semester, which meant that it was finally time to return to class. Part of the morning routine was familiar: wake up, shower, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast. But none of it was the same.

Getting out of bed was simple enough, but showering with one arm was surprisingly difficult. Izuku had been given a special brush to help him reach all over his body, but it was still challenging and awkward to scrub himself down, and took longer than it had before. Something as simple as squeezing shampoo from the bottle was simple no longer, as Izuku had to carefully aim it atop his head and squeeze out a small drop, then scrub one handed.

Brushing his teeth was a chore now too: he laid out his toothbrush, carefully put a dot of toothpaste on it, then brushed his teeth and flossed. He had to use a dental pick now, as he couldn't easily reach parts of his mouth one handed. As for getting dressed, well, Izuku was able to do it now with a lot of practice, but it was still awkward and took far longer than it should have.

Eating was something Izuku was getting used to. He was becoming more adroit using chopsticks with his left hand, and Hari was actually cooking for both him and Mei each morning. It wasn't anything spectacular, but she was insistent that the two of them needed hearty meals to help with their recovery, which was certainly the case. This morning she served up rice, eggs, and fried spam.

"Make sure the two of you get lunch in the cafeteria," Hari lectured. "It's included in the boarding fee for the school now so I don't want the two of you 'forgetting' or trying to skip it."

"Yes Hari," Izuku and Mei mumbled. Izuku looked up and smiled at her. "And thanks for the food, it's really good."

"It had better be, it's costing an arm and a leg to-" Hari froze, a look of horror coming over her face.

"It's fine," Izuku told her quietly. "I know it's just an expression."

Tears welled up in Hari's eyes, but she turned around to hide them, sniffing and busying herself with cleaning. Mei didn't seem to notice, worried about shoving the food in her face as fast as she could, as usual.

For once, they didn't head to the Workshop first. With all the extra time it was taking Izuku to get ready, they only had a few minutes to make their way to class. Since Izuku hadn't ever actually been to room 1A, he was a bit nervous about walking there, as he usually felt when he had to go somewhere new, imagining himself getting lost somehow and being late. They made it in plenty of time though, and Izuku found that most of his new classmates were already in the room.

"Izuku! Hatsume! You made it!" Ashido said, waving as Izuku came to the door.

"Yep, I had to make sure." Mei looked into the classroom, then nodded. "Izuku's class is 82 square meters, that is good, he will be safe here and we didn't get lost."

"Yeah, guess I found it after all," Izuku mumbled, blushing slightly. He turned to Mei, smiling. "Thanks for walking with me, I-"

"Hatsume, we need your help," Jiro said, suddenly coming out and grabbing Mei's arm. "When I was using the sonic amplifier you gave me I was getting this weird feedback. I just got it back from Power Loader and I was hoping you'd take a look at it."

"Is there something wrong with our baby?" Mei demanded, springing out of Jiro's grasp and hurrying over to her desk. She picked up the device, which was built like a small convex speaker that could strap on to Jiro's legs. "Ah, I see, Izuku, come look. I think some of the circuits were damaged by the vibrations."

"Really? Oh, I guess I can take a look, but Mei really should-" Izuku began, but Kaminari grabbed Izuku and pulled him to a desk nearby.

"Hey man, my capacitor overloaded and I really need you to take a look at it," Kaminari said, dumping the fried headband on Izuku's lap. "Can't you do something?"

"Oh, well, I'll have to make a new one," Izuku said. He gingerly picked it up, frowning as he examined some of the exposed circuitry. "How much voltage can you generate, at what amperage? It looks like these parts are fused, that's why you were experiencing negative effects. Here, I've got my tools, let me take a look."

Both Izuku and Mei were soon so absorbed in examining their creations that they didn't even notice the bell, not helped by the somewhat noisy chatter of their classmates. Izuku only looked up when the door shut and Mr. Aizawa walked in. He sheepishly put Kaminari's fried gear into his backpack, then sat up.

"Well, I hope you all enjoyed that little break, because it's the last one you're getting for a while," Mr. Aizawa said, not looking up from a bundle of papers in his hands. "I'd say welcome to our new students, but you already know who they are so-"

Mr. Aizawa suddenly paused, frowning at the top piece of paper in his stack. He looked up, glaring at the desk next to Izuku's. That made Izuku look to the side, and he started when he realized Mei was sitting there, looking a bit lost and confused.

"Hatsume, what are you doing here?" Mr. Aizawa demanded, his eyes narrowing as his mouth thinned into a scowl.

"I was just looking at Jiro's baby! It got hurt during the fight and she needed me to fix it so I was going to take it apart and figure out how to make it all better but then they told me to sit here and not say anything so I was being quiet," Mei explained.

"Maybe you should check the class roster, sir," Iida suggested.

"I am." Aizawa held up the sheet of paper, turning it over to reveal his class list. "Somehow, there seems to be twenty-one students in my class, including Mei Hatsume."

"Oh, well, then I guess I'm supposed to be here," Mei said, sounding relieved. "I just hope Mr. Maijima won't mind if I keep going to the workshop for my babies."

Izuku glanced around worriedly, unsure of what was happening. For some reason Ashido and Kaminari looked very pleased with themselves, though they were trying and failing to hide it. Iida was a picture of concerned responsibility, while all the other students had varying levels of smug satisfaction and blank masks on their faces.

"The only ones," Mr. Aizawa said slowly, his baleful gaze resting on each of the students, "who have access to change the class rosters for the Hero Course are myself, and Principal Nezu. I don't recall changing it personally or the Principal discussing such an alteration with me."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately sir," Shinso said, his tone sober. "I think we've all had some troubles with our memories in the past few days. There's a lot of things I wish I could forget."

Aizawa's eyes suddenly locked with Shinso, his long, dark, lanky hair rising about his head as his quirk activated. Shinso didn't react, simply returning the teachers look stare for stare. After a few seconds, Aizawa's hair lowered and he blinked. "I don't know how you did it, but I'm only going to ask you one thing. Lie, and you're out. Did you use your quirk to do this?"

"I'm not saying I did anything," Shinso said carefully. "But if I did do something, I didn't use my quirk to do it. Though I would say that, just perhaps, some people shouldn't leave their passwords to their user accounts on sticky notes taped on the side of their desk drawers. Turns out, any teacher can adjust class rosters if you log in as them first, then switch over to administrative mode while filling out report cards."

"God dammit, Yamada," Aizawa growled. "I've told you to be more careful with security!" He suddenly smiled widely at Shinso. "Well. It seems you have taught yourself a few new tricks."

"Someone one once told me that you can't be a pro if you only have one trick," Shinso observed. "I got burned for not being smart online once, and then had my ass saved because people knew how to get information out of computers. I've been doing more than hanging out and playing video games the past few weeks."

"I see. Well, it seems my class roster has been adjusted. Hatsume, interrupt me and I kick you right back to where you belong," Aizawa growled.

"I thought I belonged here now?" Mei said, looking very unsure of herself. "I was just walking to class with Izuku but then Ashido needed help with her babies and-"

"-and it seems I'm the victim of a wide ranging conspiracy," Aizawa said, looking around at his students. Even Iida's sycophantic mask had come off, and he was looking rather delighted with the way things were going. The only student who wasn't looking like the cat who got the mouse was Bakugo, who was slouched in his desk at the back of the room and looked like he was generally pissed off at the world. Which, really, was his default expression anyway.

"If you don't want me to interrupt you then you shouldn't interrupt me," Mei grumbled to herself.

A smile tugged at the corner of Aizawa's lips, and he bowed to Mei. "Please excuse my rudeness. But Hatsume, do you understand what your being here means?"

"I get to go to class with Izuku and learn about everyone else's quirks so Izuku and I can make even more amazing babies for them! I'll get to see first hand what they can do and collect lots of data that will make our babies even cuter! I did see them at the fight with the bad guys but I didn't feel very good and I don't remember most of it so this will be an excellent opportunity to collect data first hand!"

"I imagine so," Aizawa agreed. He looked around at the rest of his students. "And I suppose you all think you're terribly clever, don't you?"

"Pff. Whatever. We just didn't want to see Midoriya mope 'cause he couldn't be with Hatsume anymore. That would have been really annoying," Bakugo grumbled.

"Come on Mr. Aizawa, Mei's one of us now," Uraraka argued. "She's faced the League of Villains on the front lines. It wouldn't be right to just send her away."

Tsu nodded. "Plus, she lives in our dorms, ribbit. How can we have her going to class somewhere else?"

"Hmph. Well, if this didn't solve several headaches for me, you'd all be in a lot of trouble right now," Aizawa muttered, stacking his papers on his desk.

"How could we possibly get into more trouble than we're already in?" Yaoyorozu asked. "I mean, we should all be in jail or at least expelled right now."

A sinister gleam came into Aizawa's eyes, and his lips spread in a mirthless grin. "Well, for one thing, one of your idiot stunts could have gone very, very wrong. What if there had been an IR camera that caught Hagakure? She'd be dead right now."

Everyone glanced in the invisible girls direction, and her clothes seemed to collapse in on themselves slightly.

"Or what if Togata had got there just a little bit later? Then God only knows how many of you would be dead. Need I go on?"

Everyone quickly shook their heads.

"Good." Aizawa let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Honestly, you have all put us into a tight spot. Hatsume, I will admit, this isn't your fault. If anything, it was our mistake to bring you to the training camp and drag you into this."

"But-!" Mei began, but Izuku put his hand on hers, grateful she was to his left. She glanced at him frowning, but then subsided.

"So you can control yourself. But yes, you're all in a great deal of trouble, even if you don't seem to realize it. The past few days you've been isolated and resting, but that can't last any longer. The fact is that you've put the country in a precarious situation and that your own status is extremely delicate. The public now sees you all as All Might's heirs, along with -"

"Me!" Togata declared, popping out of the wall. Everyone but Shinso, Izuku, and Mei jumped in surprise.

"Is Togata going to join the class too?! Togata, how's your underwear, did it work?" Mei demanded.

That brought some snorts of laughter, especially from Jiro and Ashido who had to duck under their desks as they giggled.

This didn't seem to bother Togata at all, who nodded and smiled. "Yes! It's very comfortable, and it stays on no matter what I do, Hatsume, thanks!"

"Togata," Aizawa growled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You were supposed to wait until I called you."

"Oh, sorry."

Togata popped back out through the wall, causing Aizwa to let out a heavy sigh. "Come back, they've already seen you."

When Togata reappeared, Aizawa sighed and pointed to him. "Yes, you're all the nation's most darling heroes. Thankfully they've mostly focused on Lemillion, but you've all been latched onto as well as the new 'Pillars of Peace.' We've tried controlling the media narrative, but it isn't working. The public is demanding more of you, and to see you in action more often."

"Which is a problem, because you don't have provisional licenses yet!" Togata chimed in. Aizawa glared at him, which made Togata flinch and offer a sheepish grin in apology.

"The licenses at least are a problem we can solve. Experience and more advanced training will have to happen on the job. You're all taking your provisional license exams in two weeks. We just missed the previous exam, but you were all still recovering from your injuries. We'll have to travel out to Kansi to do it, but it's vital we get you all tested."

"So what's he got to do with that?" Shinso asked, eyeing Togata. Izuku well remembered the harsh lessons they'd learned under the upperclassman, and wasn't eager to repeat them.

"I'm going to be helping train all of you!" Togata told them brightly. Shinso let out a soft groan, closing his eyes. "We've got to get you back in fighting shape, and we've only got two weeks to do it!"

"Yeah!" Kirishima said, grinning and raising his fist. "Let's do this! You got lucky last time, we softened that big bastard up for you!"

"As much as I think you could all do with a little ego deflating, I'm not going to let Togata just pound you all into the dust," Mr. Aizawa informed them. "You'll be training on working together as a team. While you all have shown promise in your ability to work together, it's going to be vital going forward. That was the only thing aside from luck that kept you alive in Kamino."

Izuku shakily raised his hand, and Mr. Aizawa pointed to him. "Um, what about me, sir? We, um, we haven't rebuilt the Power Suit just yet."

"That's your top priority. Get it done sooner rather than later, I want you training with the others," Mr. Aizawa ordered. "That goes double for you, Hatsume, and it's one of the only reasons you're still here."

"Of course we'll rebuild our baby!" Hatsume declared. Then she frowned, glancing at Izuku. "But we do still need to finish adjusting Izuku's new arm. He can't use our baby without it!"

"Actually, I think maybe we should design the power suit without a place for a prosthetic, at least initially," Izuku suggested. "If I can learn to directly interface with the suit, it will allow me to respond more quickly, and it will mean I don't need to worry about whether or not the arm is damaged or with me."

"That's true! We could use the neural interface and some electro sensors to-"

"Go talk about that in the workshop," Mr. Aizawa ordered. "The rest of you, you're with me. Time to start on your training."

"Wait, but what about our classes?" Iida demanded. "We're supposed to have Modern Literature right now."

"Until further notice, such classes are canceled," Aizawa informed them. "We're literally playing with your lives here. I don't give a damn if you don't know why the author made the drapes blue."

"YES!" Ashido and Kaminari cheered, turning to high five one another.

"-but you still have a midterm, and you'll need to pass it. Don't think this means you're getting a break. You're simply going to have to work all the harder. Now get moving. We're short on time."

Izuku and Mei separated from the others, hurrying down to the Support Course workshop.

"Hatsume, where were you this morning?" Mr. Maijima demanded when he saw them. "You're not even on my roster!"

"I'm in Izuku's class so I can make babies for all my friends," Mei stated. "I have lots of friends now! I like it."

"Really? Well, we'll just see about that. Aizawa thinks he can poach my two best students, I'll show him a thing or two," Mr. Maijima grumbled. "Go on, get started on whatever it is you're here to work on. I was going to modify your schedule anyway Hatsume, things are moving quickly."

Once more, Izuku found himself entering into the workshop with Hatsume. He looked around at the tools, materials, and various projects that were scattered about the space, feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and longing. In so many ways, this was where and how his journey had begun.

"No…My poor baby…" Mei walked to the center of the room, where the remains of the Power Suit lay under a tarp. Mei knelt in front of it, resting her hand on its surface. Izuku saw tears trickle down her cheeks, as Mei bowed her head, her shoulders trembling.

"It's OK, Mei." Izuku carefully knelt next to Mei, putting his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, pressing herself tightly to his body, and Izuku squeezed as hard as he could. "We'll fix it, together. It will be even better than before."

"But it's like us," Mei whispered, tears still running freely down her cheeks. "It's so broken. My eyes don't work. Your arm's gone. And...and I don't know if I can really fix it all, if I can still help you, Izuku. What if I'm broken?"

"Then we'll just have to fix each other, together," Izuku said.

Mei looked up at him, smiling, her tears vanishing. "Ok. I guess if we do it together, it's OK."


	34. Walk Not Alone

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_34\. Walk Not Alone_

_To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens:...A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up._

_-King Solomon, Ecclesiastes (Traditional attribution)_

Working with Mei once more healed wounds in ways Izuku hadn't thought possible, but opened up new ones as well. It was cathartic and soothing to lose himself in the familiar routine of carefully examining systems, then designing and implementing improvements.

The pain came from realizing he couldn't get back what he'd lost so easily. Doing things one handed was tricky and tedious. Izuku had to use several specialized clamps and vices to be able to hold objects steady while he worked on them one handed. Worse, his right hand had been his dominant hand and he had to relearn things in a way that still felt unnatural. With the same bullheaded determination he'd always had though, Izuku pressed forward.

If he ever felt like giving up, he just looked to Mei, who had developed the habit of squinting at things, then frowning, shaking her head, and getting a magnifying glass or jewelers loop to carefully go over her work. She wasn't giving up, and neither was he.

The first order of business was rebuilding the Power Suit. While they could have salvaged their prior efforts, Izuku and Mei both agreed that they needed to rebuild with better, stronger materials from the ground up. A new skeleton made of more durable alloys Mei concocted became the basis for the new Power Suit, and it became larger and bulkier to support more powerful systems and higher grade weapons loadouts. They now knew that what Izuku had been packing before fell far short of what was needed to deal with the most deadly and dangerous foes.

At the same time though, they also realized that the increasing size and complexity of the Power Suit would dramatically add to the time needed to build and complete it, and that with less than two weeks to go until the licensing exam, they didn't have the capability to build it the way they wanted.

So instead, they went back to the very beginning, back to the original Power Suit MK1, which had been slimmer and less bulky than any design they'd created after.

"The Power Suit is great for the outdoors or large scale fights, but I need something that can fit in narrower spaces. Just going through those back alleys caused some damage because I could barely fit," Izuku observed as they catalogued the damage to the suit on the first day.

"What if we created an exoskeletal suit?" Mei suggested. "Maybe something that's weaker than the main power suit, but something you could use indoors or other tight places."

"Yeah, maybe we could make it light enough that it could actually fly too," Izuku suggested.

Mei frowned and shook her head. "If we did that, the jet pack would make it too bulky to fit through doors. I know! We can make it modular too! It could be able to hook up to various gear easily, and you could swap it out based on the mission. So you could mount the jet pack, or take it off."

"We could make the entire Power Suit a module!" Izuku said excitedly, seizing on the idea. "It could fit inside the main Power Suit, and I could jump in and out!"

"Yes, exactly, like the Hulk Buster Armor!" Mei declared.

Izuku glanced at her. "When did you learn about the Hulk Buster Armor? I thought you didn't like Iron Man."

Mei shrugged. "Hospitals are really boring and your mom only had your books to read while we waited for you to wake up. Besides, this isn't going to be Hulk Buster Armor. It will be Masked Buster Armor."

"Perfect," Izuku said with a grin. "The League of Villains won't know what happened to them the next time we fight!"

"Our babies will be so cute they won't even know what to do!" Mei laughed.

In their efforts, Izuku and Mei ended up not working alone. On their second day, Hari came to the workshop, bringing them both lunch.

"You two forget to eat again?" Hari asked, causing Izuku to look up in surprise. He hadn't even realized she was there.

"Um, yeah, sorry," Izuku admitted, blushing. Usually he was the one to remind Mei.

Hari just laughed and set out three lunches. "Looks like Mei's rubbing off on you, Izuku! Next thing you know you'll be humming to yourself and demanding coffee instead of tea."

"I guess we've both changed," Izuku admitted as Mei came over to help him up from the floor where he'd been working. He could have stood on his own, but he wasn't too proud to admit it was far easier to accept a helping hand from Mei.

"Well, Mei's a lot more social than she ever was before she met you," Hari observed as they sat to eat. "Did you know I caught her doing makeup with Jiro and Ashido the other day?"

"I do not understand why they liked it so much but since they thought it was fun I agreed to attempt it," Mei explained.

"Are you wearing any makeup?" Izuku asked, feeling a bit worried that he hadn't noticed.

Mei shook her head. "No, they told me it was so boys would like you better and you already like me so I don't see any point."

"If you say some sappy crap about how she's already beautiful, see if I ever bring you lunch again," Hari warned Izuku, who blushed and looked down, as he'd been about to say something along those lines. "Don't worry about it too much Mei. I only bother with lipstick half the time and the rest of the get up only if I have a hot date. Which hasn't been for a depressingly long time. But nevermind that. Mind if I take a look at your work?"

"I don't," Izuku said, glancing at Mei.

"I have always tried to get you to look at my babies, Hari. You always said you were too busy before but now I don't think you are," Mei scolded. "You could actually be helpful, unlike the brats!"

"Yeah, but I miss the little buggers," Hari sighed. She set her lunch down and walked over to examine the Power Suit A, as Mei and Izuku had taken to calling it. She looked over the various electrical systems and power supply, letting out a low whistle and shaking her head. "I'm gonna be honest, Mei, this stuff is way over my head. I'm just a mechanic, not a JAXA engineer."

"But you are very smart! You're good at fixing all kinds of things and building things," Mei said, hurrying over by her sister. "See, this is a modified duel reaction power plant, and these motorized assists aren't that different from some of the construction equipment I've seen you work on!"

"Maybe," Hari agreed. "But honestly I haven't a clue where to start with this. Looks like you modified a standard Mitsubishi YT-3 series they use for their smaller bikes."

"Yes! See, you've worked on those before! We could use your help welding the parts here, you know how to weld because you taught me how!"

"Well, maybe," Hari admitted. "I suppose I wouldn't mind getting my hands a bit dirty, it's sorta boring sitting around waiting for you kids and a girl can only tune her baby's engine so often…"

"Your car always works just fine. Here, let me show you how we're doing it. You have to be careful though, Izuku's electrical system is very good but you don't want to accidentally break it."

Soon, the two sisters were working together, Mei leading and Hari following her directions, at first a bit hesitant, but soon with the confidence of someone who was familiar and skilled at their craft. Izuku went back to wiring the more delicate parts, slowly and carefully, testing each connection and part to make sure it was perfect. After that, Hari joined Izuku and Mei nearly every day for long hours, mostly performing the assembling and machining of parts once Mei had created a design she was content with.

While most of his day was consumed with working on the Power Suit, Izuku made sure to continue his physical therapy, especially focusing on learning to use his new prosthetic. Alongside that, he resumed his training with The Hero workout program. To that end, Kirishima and Shinso were happy to help him, coming up with adjustments for him now that he could no longer fully complete several aspects.

"Damn dude, one handed push-ups! Hard core!" Kirishima laughed when Izuku started to resume his routine with them early in the morning at the gym. They were far from the only ones there even though the sun was barely up; all of Class 1A and 1B as well as the other Hero Courses from the other years had some sort of intense fitness routine.

"We'll have to step up our games if we want to keep up with him," Shinso chuckled. "Maybe do 50 on each hand."

"Laugh all you want," Izuku grunted. He collapsed after only 20, but after a short rest made himself keep going. "This is harder than it looks."

"I believe it. I'm still weak myself," Kirishima admitted. "That hit from One for All beat the hell out of me. Ended up with three broken bones from that fight. Thank God for Recovery Girl or I'd still be messed up."

Shinso grunted from where he was doing sit ups. "Considering the rest of us would just have been red mist, that's still impressive."

"Will you nerds shut up! It's too damn early to be talking this much!" Bakugo snapped at them from the weight bench as he strained to complete his reps.

"Oh relax Bakugo, you need to be more of a morning person if you're going to be a hero!" Ururaka lectured, her eyes on the weight bar. She had insisted that she spot for Bakugo, who had grudgingly agreed after he'd nearly hurt himself the week before. He too had felt the effects of recovering his wounds during the battle, especially since some of his wounds had been serious. "What if the bad guys attack in the morning instead of at night?"

Bakugo snarled, baring his teeth in a grimace as he strained. "Then I can kick their ass! Which is more than I can do to the nerds!"

"Oh, what's the matter Bakugo, afraid we'd waste your sorry ass?" Shinso taunted.

Bakugo slammed the weight back into place, jerking upright to glare at Shinso. "You know who'd win if you and I faced off, and-"

Suddenly, Bakugo stopped, then slowly stood. "...I...wo….ld...l...oo...se.." he mumbled. He suddenly jerked back to reality, his eyes going wide in fury. "You son of a bitch! You used your quirk on me, I-!"

Bakugo cut off as Uraraka snorted loudly. She tried to stop, but squealed and snorted again, sounding much like a pig. That made Izuku accidentally guffaw, though he quickly covered his mouth in embarrassment.

"It's not funny!" Bakugo snapped, glaring around at several people in the gym.

"Actually, that was pretty funny," Kirishima said, his quirk activating as he smiled, giving his grin a rather monstrous appearance. "You got a problem with that?"

Bakugo glared at Shinso for a moment, then paused. "Wait, did I talk?"

"I heard it from your own lips. You would lose," Shinso said, folding his arms over his chest. "And I think that just proves my point."

Bakugo stalked forward, pops and snaps coming from his fingers as they twitched, his face only inches from Shinso's, who didn't flinch back. After a moment, Bakugo held up his right arm, palm forward. "You can make people talk now. Guess you're not as weak as I thought."

Shinso smiled and gave Bakugo a solid high five, only to yelp in pain as the sudden contact made the sweat Bakugo had built up explode. Shinso swore and hopped about the room, blowing on his hand which was slightly singed. Bakugo began to laugh uproariously, as did Kirishima while Urarka had another snorting fit.

"Now it's funny!" Bakugo declared.

That made Shinso pause to glare at Bakugo, then he too started to laugh. "Yeah, ok, that was actually pretty funny. I'll get you next time though."

For once, Bakugo was smart enough not to say anything, which just made everyone else, even Izuku, laugh all the harder.

Later, Izuku found Bakugo alone in the kitchen, preparing himself a meal. Hesitantly, Izuku moved next to the other boy, who glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

"Thank you," Izuku said quietly.

"I'm not giving you any, make your own," Bakugo told him.

Izuku shook his head. "Not that. For...for helping rescue Mei. You've changed. You don't...you don't hate me, anymore, for being weak."

"That's bullshit," Bakugo told Izuku, not looking at him as he stirred his cooking food. "If you were weak, I'd still hate you."

"If you hadn't noticed, I am down an arm, and Mei is quirkless now. But you don't hate us," Izuku said. "You tried to save us. And...and you were the first person to volunteer to help rescue Mei, even though you knew it would cost you."

Bakugo just grunted in reply, his eyes on his cooking.

"I just...I wanted to say I forgive you," Izuku told him. "And...and I hope we can be friends again." Izuku turned to walk away, but Bakugo stirred and spoke.

"We were never friends," Bakugo said, still not looking up. "That...that was my fault." He finally met Izuku's eyes. "I'm not a good person. You are. So I don't know why you would ever want to be my friend."

Izuku hesitated, then turned back to face Bakugo. "Once, it was because you were strong, and I wanted to be like you."

Bakugo snorted, turning off the heat from the stove and dumping his meal onto a plate. "I've got a strong quirk, sure. But you're stronger than I am. You beat me in the Sports Festival, remember?"

"That wasn't because I was strong," Izuku told Bakugo. "That was because of Mei. Because I was willing to admit I am weak, that I need other people's help. We all do, Bakugo."

"Hmph." Bakugo replied. "I still hate weaklings. Problem is, I am one." He walked away, heading towards his room, where he typically ate alone.

"Hey, Bakugo! We were just going to eat," Uraraka's voice called from the dining room. "Sit down and join us!"

Bakugo hesitated, glancing at Uraraka, who was sitting with Iida and Tokoyami as they shared a meal from the cafetiera. For a moment, Izuku thought Bakugo would ignore her, walk back to his room in solitude. Instead, he silently walked to the table, sitting beside the others and quietly beginning to eat. The others laughed and chatted, even talking to Bakugo, who occasionally gave short answers, but never joined in.

For his part, Izuku watched for a moment, then headed out to the workshop. Perhaps he and Bakugo would never be friends again. But they weren't enemies at least.

In what little free time Izuku had, he devoted himself to his own personal project: Making a new set of eyes for Mei. It was a slow, tedious process, as Izuku insisted on assembling and modifying the goggles himself alone. He included a digital zoom, as well as inferred, ultraviolet, and low light modes for the goggles. He added a holographic projector that Mei could use to overlay on 3D objects and manipulate with a special gauntlet he made. He also added the ability to make and receive video calls or act as a miniature computer screen. The design alone took him a week, and it would likely take months to fully finish, but Izuku was proud of his work.

As for his prosthetic arm, Mei continued to add improvements. Izuku's manual dexterity with the arm improved daily, though he was still a far cry from being able to use it for any delicate fine motor tasks. Still, it was wonderful to have, and Izuku was confident in time he could learn to use it as well as his flesh and blood arm, though the lack of touch or pain still left it rather lacking in some regards.

In addition to everything else, Izuku and Mei, along with the rest of Class 1A and Hari, now had weekly appointments with the school Counselor, Ryo Inui. Most of the students were attending their sessions alone, but Izuku and Mei had requested they be allowed to come together, and Mr. Inui had readily granted the request.

He was an odd looking man, mostly because he looked like nothing so much as his Hero Name, Hound Dog, resembling a bi-pedal hound with a long, shaggy mane of hair. He was prone to barking, growling, and making other dog-like noises when he became emotional, though most of the time he sounded perfectly normal. Thankfully, he didn't wear his hero costume, which consisted of a muzzle and vest that made him look rather intimidating, instead opting for a business casual look.

"Do we have to be here?" Mei complained when they first arrived at Mr. Inui's office. "They told me when I came to UA I didn't have to go to social groups or anything anymore."

"That's not what this is about, Hatsume," Inui told Mei as he gestured her and Izuku over to a rather patched couch. It had scorch marks on it, and for some reason the room smelled faintly of burned hair and brimstone under the incense that Mr. Inui was burning on his desk.

Mei frowned, but sat down with Izuku. "Oh, well then why are Izuku and I here? We could be working on our baby, we only have another 12 days to get it ready!"

"I understand, but there's something you two are going to need to learn about being heroes. It's the darker side of the profession, so to speak. From what your sister tells me, Mei, you're already experiencing it, and I'd be shocked if you weren't, Izuku. Night terrors, afraid to ever be alone, and you've been calculating the area and volume of objects more often," Mr. Inui said as he seated himself in an equally battered wooden chair across from them.

Izuku twitched slightly. He had been having a hard time sleeping, and more than once he'd woken up in the middle of the night nearly unable to breath. Though he couldn't say he'd ever felt the need to calculate the volume of a random object.

"Hari told you that?" Mei asked, frowning. "Why?"

"Because she's had to see me too, and she's worried about you both. This is counseling for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome," Mr. Inui explained gently. "You've both had a severely traumatic event in your lives. The other students in Class 1A attended therapy with me for a few weeks back when the USJ attacks happened. Mentally, being a hero is very taxing, like being a police officer or in the military. You have incredible violence done to you, and on occasion, do violence as well. Some people handle it better than others, but no one should handle it alone."

"Well I'm not handling it alone, I have Izuku and Hari and all my friends in class," Mei stated. She smiled suddenly. "I have lots of friends now! Last year, I only had Izuku, and before that, I didn't have any! It makes things a lot easier, but…"

Mei trailed off, going silent. She suddenly squeezed her eyes shut. "Izuku, how high is the ceiling?" she asked after a long moment.

Izuku looked up, then looked to Mr. Inui.

"It's 2.1 meters high, Hatsume," Mr. Inui supplied.

"This room is 713.7 cubic meters," Mei said, then suddenly buried her face into Izuku's chest. "I need a hug."

Izuku obliged, squeezing Mei as tightly as he could. He knew she preferred bone crushing hugs, especially when she was feeling this poorly. "I, um, I've been...having a hard time sleeping too."

"That's normal. Especially for new heroes, and even more so for someone who suffered a major injury like you have," Mr. Inui said. "We can get you something to help you sleep if it becomes a problem."

"Hari has a medicine she takes at night, did you give it to her?" Mei asked, her voice muffled as she was still pressed tightly to Izuku.

"I can't discuss that with you, if you have questions about your sister's sessions you can talk to her about them, or perhaps join her if that would help both of you. I've found that having a loved one along can help some people, but for others it slows the healing process. For the two of you, Hari suggested that it would be best if I saw you together, though I would like to speak with each of you alone as well."

"So, um, what do we do?" Izuku asked. "I-I don't really want any pills. I just...I wake up, and I can just...feel my arm. But I look, and it's gone, and then I feel like I can't breath for a few minutes…"

"The healing process is going to take a while. Some wounds never really heal, both mentally and physically. But we can learn how to deal with them. Let's start with just talking about how this is making you feel. Who would like to go first?"

_Authors Note: _

_One thing that's always irritated me personally is the common trope that there are No Therapists in Fictionland. Look, these kids just went through hell. Izuku lost an arm. Mei lost her quirk, and was frightened and brutalized. Even someone like Iida who got out with minor surface wounds is going to suffer deep trauma from that. Some will weather it better than others, but a competent school/hero system will have therapists to guide heroes so that they can continue to be heroic and not break down from psychological pressure. _


	35. The Stage is Set

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_35\. The Stage is Set_

_Fame is a beast that you can't control or be prepared for._

_-Tom Holland_

Carefully, Izuku reached out and picked up the chopsticks, holding them between his thumb and fingers. With a slow, deliberate motion, he reached out, picking up the chunk of egg. Sweat beading on his brow, he carefully moved it up to his mouth, leaning forward and hastily taking a bite. He felt a thrill of success and-

There was a loud snap, and he jerked back as splinters peppered his lips. Chagrined, he leaned back, and opened his hand so that the wooden pieces fell out onto the table. Using his left hand, he swept them off into the trash can next to the table.

"Izuku! That was so good! You're getting the hang of it already!" Mei praised, eagerly watching him from across the small table. Her own meal was forgotten on her plate, her eyes fixed on Izuku's progress.

"Thanks Mei, the arm you made is really amazing," Izuku answered, reaching out and gingerly picking up another set of chopsticks.

"Ten minutes!" Hari shouted, hurrying through the dorm kitchen. "Ten minutes until bus time!"

Her shout made Izuku twitch, and he snapped yet another set of chopsticks. Sighing, he let them fall, taking up a final pair with his real hand and quickly snarfing down his meal. Mei did likewise, quickly cleaning her plate, then taking hers and Izuku's and stacking it in the dishwasher. It was a deliberate action for her, one that Izuku had traditionally done, until Bakugo had yelled at Mei for making Izuku put her plate away one handed. Mei had yelled right back, but after that she'd started to clear the dishes herself.

With that out of the way, Izuku walked out to where the bus was already waiting to take them to the Provisional License Exam. The newly finished Power Suit was already stowed along with the modules he'd be using for the test, two of which were new creatures. One was a tank of the capture foam he could spray using a nozzle, another was a special module they'd created specifically to allow Izuku to release excess electricity from Kaminari's own gear, allowing him to recharge his suit and allow his classmate to continue using his quirk. They'd had to replace Kaminari's gear so that instead of simply blocking electricity it stored it, but it had been worth the late nights in Izuku and Mei's opinion.

Mei sat next to Izuku on the bus, though she did talk to many of their classmates, as did Izuku. It was still something of a shock to Izuku for both he and Mei to be so well liked and accepted by the others. Even Bakugo was mostly polite, at least for him, towards Izuku and the others. He'd somehow fallen in with Uraraka, and by extension Iida, along with Shinso. Shinso and Bakugo constantly traded sarcastic barbs back and forth, but Shinso seemed to enjoy it and Bakugo was at least willing to put up with Shinso if it meant someone else would be around him.

Hari drove the bus, while Mr. Aizawa sat up front taking a nap. It was a long trip, and though Izuku felt nervous, he was also confident. After all, this was only a test. Even if he failed, neither his life nor Mei's was on the line, and compared to the trails they'd faced over the summer it was almost normal.

Except, he, Izuku Midoriya, was on his path to being a hero. And for the first time, it seemed like everyone around him believed that he could do it.

They arrived at the testing site around lunch time, and everyone piled out to a grassy area to sit and eat. Izuku meticulously used his prosthetic arm to feed himself. He was getting far better with it, but for more delicate tasks he still needed a lot of improvement as his set of a dozen shattered chopsticks showed.

"So, did Mei finally put that flamethrower in?" Kaminari asked as they ate.

"No, I put in a laser instead," Mei said with a sigh. "Flamethrowers require too much fuel. I'll have to find a way to manufacture a fuel that can easily fit inside the arm before I make a flamethrower attachment."

"Whoa, really, can we see?" Ashido asked, leaning forward.

"Don't be stupid, if he fires that thing off now we'll get in trouble and he'll not have it for the test," Bakugo snapped.

Jiro rolled her eyes. "Nobody asked you, Bakugo."

"Well, I mean, I don't think this is a good time to use it," Izuku muttered. "If I fire it it drains my battery really fast and my arm usually goes dead and we won't have time to recharge it."

"I could recharge it in a snap!" Kaminari offered. "Come on, at least show us the laser dude!"

Izuku looked to Mei, who grinned eagerly. "They want to see our baby Izuku, you have to show them how amazing you are!"

"Well, it's you who made it, Mei," Izuku protested, but he did activate the laser module so that it popped out of his palm. It was stored in his forearm, and could fire for only a few seconds before it would utterly drain his arm's power reserves. If he was in the Power Suit, it could work off of the suit's power, but he had to still be careful about overusing it as the laser was incredibly energy intensive.

"That's so badass," Jiro sighed. "Mei you've got to make us something like that."

"If you lose an arm, I promise to make each of you a super cute baby," Mei agreed seriously.

That made everyone else look uncomfortable for a long moment, though Izuku managed to giggle nervously. While Mei's social skills were indeed rapidly improving, she was still odd by any definition of the word, but that was something Izuku had grown to love about her.

"Hey, has anyone else noticed that we seem to be the center of attention?" Shoji said quietly. "Don't look around, but the students from the other schools are all observing us carefully. I think we've attracted some unwanted attention."

Izuku couldn't help but nervously glance over his shoulder, and sure enough a group of older students from another school were indeed looking right at him. He nervously spun around, feeling a cold sweat breaking out on his back. "Why are they looking at us?" he whispered.

"Maybe they don't have any social skills," Mei suggested. "Mr. Onizuka taught me it was rude to stare, maybe no one told them."

"I don't think that's it," Yaoyorozu said, shaking her head. "We're the youngest ones here. We stand out a bit."

"They're just jealous," Bakugo said with a derisive snort. "Or maybe they're scared. How many of them have taken on the League of Villains and won?"

"We don't know what the test is like," Iida mused. "But there's certain to be only a limited number of slots available."

"Then I'm going to guess they're sizing us up," Shinso said with a shake of his head.

"They know your quirks!" Izuku said with a gasp. The others all looked at him, and he blushed, but quickly explained. "We were all in the sports festival, right? And they broadcast our battle with the League of Villains on live TV. So...so they already know what we can do. And...and if it were me…."

"-you'd be coming up with some nerdy plan to paste us," Bakugo growled. "Just like you did at the Sports Festival."

"Oh crap, does that mean we're going to be facing an army of Izuku's?" Kaminari groaned. "I so am not ready for this."

Kirishima slapped his friend upside the back of his head. "Shut up man, you are ready. You helped take down All For One, right?"

"If they have a plan, then we need a plan," Uraraka declared, smaking her fist into her palm. "Izuku! What can we do?"

All eyes turned to him, and Izuku paled. "W-w-what are you all looking at me for?!"

"You're the one who always comes up with the crazy plans, Midoriya," Ashido said, grinning widely. "That's how you kicked my butt! So, what should we do?"

"Um, well, we don't know what all their quirks are, and even if we could find out, the test is in only a few minutes, we won't have time to plan for all of them," Izuku muttered. He looked up at Yaoyorozu. "We'll need radios again. And...and I think you should give one to Mei."

"Of course." In moments, Yaoyorozu had made the same small earpiece radios she had before and passed them out.

"Izuku, why do I need a radio?" Mei asked, confused.

"There's an observer's section," Izuku explained. "And the Power Suit has built in motion sensors, and Jiro has her sonar. If you get up to a high enough place, you can help coordinate us like you did in the forest."

"Of course! I can monitor the situation and let you know where all the bad guys are!" Mei agreed eagerly. "I wish I had a few drones we could use for aerial reconnaissance!"

Izuku looked to Yaoyorozu, but she frowned and shook her head. "That's too complicated for me to make without a lot of study time beforehand. I really have to understand what I'm creating, and I've never really looked at drone schematics."

"That's OK, we'll build some super cute drone babies! I bet we could attach them to the Power Suit and Izuku could launch them to survey the battlefield."

"For now, we'll need to rely on our limited sensors and especially human scouting," Izuku said. He pointed to Hagakure. "You'll be our best bet to monitor the situation. Whatever it is we're supposed to do for the test, you and Iida will be our eyes on the ground."

"You got it Izuku!" Hagakure eagerly agreed.

Izuku nodded, still thinking. "Shoji, Jiro, you'll be our long range intelligence. Make sure to relay what you're seeing and hearing to Mei so she has all the information."

"I take it I'm the muscle again?" Kirishimi grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Yes, this time, I won't be able to be a brawler, this model of the Power Suit is more suited for fast movement and capture, not destructive force," Izuku explained. "So you, Bakugo, Ojiro, Sato, and Uraraka are our front line."

"Just stay out of my way and I'll slaughter them," Bakugo said with a grin, explosions rippling from his fingers as they twitched in anticipation.

"I guess Sero and I are on extraction again, ribbit?" Tsu asked.

"Well, that and immobilizing our opponents. Maybe we have to capture them somehow?" Izuku guessed.

"That sounds right up my alley!" Sero laughed.

"Yeah, I'll likely be joining you for that. With my capture foam and grappling hook, I'm well suited to immobilizing our opponents this time around," Izuku explained. "Sorry we didn't get the main Power Suit fixed yet, but even then all the missiles and other weapons might um, be a bit overkill."

"And what about me? Same plan as before?" Shinso asked.

"You might actually be best on the front lines now," Izuku mused. "With your capture weapon you're pretty good at grabbing people now, and if you can surprise someone with your quirk we can take them out quickly."

"I'll do whatever I can," Shinso agreed. "But what do we do if they split us up? Or if we're forced to compete against one another?"

"I'm not willing to take you guys out just to pass," Ashido said with a shake of her head. "What about the rest of us, Midoriya? Back on long ranged support?"

"Yes, Todoroki, you'll be our backup. If anything goes wrong, you step in and overwhelm everyone."

"I was thinking about just striking out on my own," Todoroki said with a shrug. "But this may be our best chance. I might be able to succeed on my own, but I'm not abandoning all of you."

"Don't be a dumbass," Bakugo snapped. "You go off on your own and you'll end up getting overwhelmed and end up with your face in the dirt! You screw up and it makes the rest of us look bad!"

"Why Bakugo, I didn't know you cared," Todoroki said, his expression neutral and his tone deadpan.

"You idiots don't even understand what's happening, do you?" Bakugo demanded, glaring around at the class. He got more than a few glares back, but Bakugo snarled and shook his head. "It's not just the freaks here who are watching us. Look over there. You see that?"

Izuku looked, then gasped in shock. There were a dozen news vans parked near the facility, and they were all unloading gear and equipment.

"Why are they here?" he wondered aloud. "I've never seen the License Exam broadcast on TV except in documentaries and stuff."

"It's because of us," Iida said, sounding stunned. "They're here to watch us."

Bakugo nodded. "That crap teach said about us going through hell? Welcome to it. They're gonna watch. Guess what? If even one of us fails this test, the crap's really gonna hit the fan. Cause we're all supposed to be All Might successors so-"

"So you better be nice, Bakugo," Uraraka said, stepping forward and poking him in the chest. "No swearing, no calling people idiots. And would it kill you to smile? And I don't mean one of those weird, creepy smiles. Yes, like that one, knock it off! No, smile! Like this!" Uraraka grinned broadly, her cheeks dimpling as she did so. Even Izuku had to admit it looked kind of cute, though obviously Mei was much cuter when she grinned.

Slowly, Bakugo's lips curled upward, his jaw working as he tried to smile.

"Somehow that's way, way worse," Jiro sighed.

"Look, Bakugo, just do what I do," Shinso said, putting his hand on Bakugo's shoulder. Bakugo glanced at the hand and frowned, but he managed to school his face into an only mildly irritated expression.

"What's that?" Bakugo said, his tone strained as he spoke through his clenched teeth in the disturbing grin he still held.

Shinso shrugged, his expression utterly blank. "Some people just weren't meant to smile. Just relax your face and try to look bored. It might not be a smile, but you won't make any babies cry either."

"Oh screw you, what would you know about-" Bakugo began, but he suddenly flinched as Shinso's lips spread, showing his large, flat teeth. With his sunken eyes, it looked like nothing so much as a skeleton grinning at you.

"...Yeah OK." Bakugo's face relaxed and while he mostly just looked bored, Izuku had to admit that at least he didn't look like he was about to enjoy killing a small animal or have a tooth pulled.

"It is very good you are learning social skills, Bakugo," Mei said, nodding with approval. "I had to learn how to talk to people too. It sounds boring at first but friends are actually really nice once you make some."

Bakugo looked at Mei for a moment, then shrugged. "That might be one of the least stupid things you've ever said. Whatever. Come on. They're going to start our party soon. Be a shame if we were late to it."

Izuku hurried back to the bus, removing his prosthetic arm with Mei's help. They took out the Power Suit from beneath the bus, and Mei quickly assembled it, putting it on as fast as he could. Once it was on, Mei attached the arm to the suit's exterior, locking it into place. Izuku flexed it and nodded. "Neural interface seems to be working."

"Of course it is, we tested it like five times!" Mei said. She suddenly jumped forward, wrapping her arms about Izuku. "Don't get hurt, OK?"

"I won't," Izuku said. He bent down and gently kissed Mei on the lips. "Don't worry. I'll show the world how amazing our babies are. After all, the press is here today."

"Make sure you tell them to give us lots of funding. Mr. Aizawa said starting a hero agency is expensive and making your own support company costs a lot of money too," Mei said. "But be safe first. Even if it means our babies get hurt. I don't want to make you another arm, or a leg, or anything else."

"I promise. You've got your eyes back, so it's up to you to help keep us safe," Izuku said.

Mei tensed up, but then quickly nodded, reaching up to touch the goggles she was now wearing. Izuku still had a few upgrades he wanted to do to them, but Mei had been thrilled to be able to zoom in on things again. "Our babies will keep us both safe. Now go show everyone why you're the world's greatest hero Izuku!"

After a final hug, Izuku hurried into the lobby of the training facility. The rest of Class 1A was near the front, and Izuku was worried he'd have to push his way through the crowd to get to them. To his surprise, people made way for him, whispering as he passed. Izuku amplified his audio input, using a few filters to allow him to pick out individual voices and conversations.

"That's Izuku Midoriya, the one who saved All Might."

"Jesus, look at that thing he's wearing. It looks like something out of a scifi movie or something."

"Why the hell we'd have to end up with him? He might just be a kid but he took on the whole damn League alone."

"Crap, I have to pass this year."

"Just stick to the plan, it'll be the Crush, just like always."

"Yeah, the Crush. Poor damn firsties won't know what hit them, they got Aizawa. Bastard never says anything."

"We crush them and move on."

"Jiro, Mei, can you hear me?" Izuku whispered.

"Yep, what's up Midoriya?" Jiro asked.

"Comms are open! What's going on Izuku?"

"Jiro, have you heard anything about a crush? Do you know what it is?"

"Yeah actually, I keep hearing the other schools talking about it when they look at us. I didn't bring it up earlier 'cause I don't know what it is. You know anything Mei?'

"Hold on," Mei said. "Hmmm. Ok, I found something on the internet. It says there's something called 'The UA Crush' in hero licensing exams. Apparently, all the other schools target UA because of the prestige in taking out UA students from the exams, and because they tend to have more information about your quirks and our babies because we're so amazing."

"Just like you predicted, Midoriya," Jiro said as Izuku joined the class.

"Predicted what?" Ojiro asked, turning to Izuku.

"Apparently all the other classes are planning on ganging up on us," Izuku whispered quietly. "They have this tradition called the UA Crush where they all come after us in the exams."

"What? Why didn't Mr. Aizawa warn us!" Kaminari asked, sounding panicked.

"Shhh, not so loud," Kirishima urged. "Probably another one of his 'logical deceptions.'"

"Oh, they think they can take us, do they?" Bakugo said, a wide feral grin spreading over his face.

"Don't say anything else," Iida said, his expression growing dark. "We know now. Hatsume, do you have eyes on the training field yet?"

"Yes! It's a big arena that you're in the middle of. There's a city area, a swamp and river, a forest, and a mountainous canyon. It's huge! I really wish I had a drone or two right now. Hey Hari, do you think we could build a drone really fast? What, no, I'm talking to them on the-"

Mei cut off for a moment, and there was static on the line. Then Hari's voice came over the line. "Ok, look, Mei's going to get into super huge trouble if they realize what's going on guys. There's government types all over the place who are going to be monitoring you."

"You mean she won't be able to pass us information?" Todorioki asked.

Hari sighed loudly. "No I mean she's going to have to be subtle about it, except that Mei thinks that subtle is something Izuku has to use a razor to deal with every few days."

"No! That's stubble, Hari! Subtle is what Hagakure does!" Mei voice's voice said, though it was distant and somewhat tinny.

"Shh! Ok, I'm passing her back the radio. I'll run interference. I'm pulling for you guys. And yes, Mei, if I find a drone lying around I'll give you one. Sheesh."

There were more sounds of the radio being passed back, and Mei said in a hoarse whisper. "Ok, I found where you guys should head. The canyon has a lot of narrow choke points. If you make for that the other schools can't gang up on you. Also, there's these weird devices I'm picking up with my infrared scanners on my eyes. They're all kinds of different sizes, but they're all little boxes. Hmm, they seem to have numbers on them, from one to ten."

"Shh, Hatsume, the government guys are coming up to the stage, they're going to say something," Jiro whispered.

"Jiro, I don't know if you're talking about me or Hari. Just call me Mei."

Jiro blinked. "You really think we're that close?"

"Well you did save my life one time, and while I don't know if most people think that counts I think it would just be easier for everyone, plus Mei is only one syllable so it's easier to say."

"Shh, Mei, they really are talking, we need to listen, I'll patch you through," Izuku said.

The government officer who slumped in a chair before the microphone looked like a man who had seen better days. His eyes were more bloodshot than Mr. Aizawa's were after he'd been overusing his quirk, and there were so many dark circles under his eyes Izuku half thought he'd taken a few punches.

"Let's just get this over with," the man mumbled, his speech slurred. "You're all here for the hero exam. Yay. We've got so many people trying to be heroes it seems like we're doing these day and night. Which would be great and all except we only need the highest quality applicants instead of just dumping people into the street. But that's what the test is for isn't it? Ugh, whatever."

Izuku blinked. This wasn't how he'd imagined the talk before the test going. The man yawned hugely, smacking his lips loudly into the microphone before continuing. "Well anyway, the test today is one we cooked up just for you." He pressed a button, and the walls of the room they were in suddenly folded outward, showing them the stadium that Mei had described. It had to be several kilometers in diameter, and Izuku could barely fathom the expense the government had to have gone to in constructing it.

"Impressed? Well get over it. The first test today is simple." Behind the man, a box appeared on the screen with a glowing number on it. "Each of these boxes is worth a certain number of points. To claim the point, find the box and open it, then take out the point banner and tie it somewhere on your body. No hiding it, it has to be visible. Of course, things really aren't that simple…"

"To pass the test, you need to get to 10 points, then return here to the safe zone. You could run around and get enough points for yourself to pass, but you can also take the points off of another testee. Once they're back to base they're safe, but before then, they're fair game. Oh, and only the first 100 people to get 10 points and enter the zone will pass on to the next part of the exam."

"Crap our plan isn't going to work at all," Kirishima muttered.

Bakugo snorted. "That's why plans are dumb, things need to change anyway."

"Are you done?" the announcer demanded. Bakugo gave him a shark-like grin, and the man flinched and swallowed. "What are they even sending me these days…? Anyway, we're going be starting in-"

"Mei, did you get that?" Izuku whispered.

"Yep! Looks like you're going to have to split up. I think you need a team to defend and keep others from passing, and a team to go out and get enough points for all of you!" Mei declared.

"She's right," Iida agreed. "But who's on offense and who's on defense?"

"I'll be on offense," Izuku decided instantly. "My suit is best for mobility and rapid movement. Hagakure, Yaorozu, Ashido, Tsu, you're on retrieval one with me. Iida, Sato, Shoji, Kota, and Aoyama, you're on retrieval two. Bakugo, you take Shinso, Uraraka, Sero, and Tokoyomi. You're on defense one. Todoroki, take Kirishima, Kaminari, Jiro, and Ojiro, get on defense two."

"Heh, so you want to keep everyone else from passing?" Bakugo laughed. "You've got bigger balls than I thought, Midoriya! I like it!"

"You really think we can take on everyone?" Sero asked, sounding worried as the other hero hopefuls took off running.

"You don't have to stop everyone from passing, just hold out until we get back with enough points for everyone!" Izuku called as he and his team began to run themselves. "Mei, I need a destination!"

"You got it Izuku! Head north 6 degrees, five hundred meters, into the swamp! There's a collection of boxes I can see that are worth 20 points."

Izuku nodded, lifting off into the air as his hoverboots fired. He looked to the distant stands, where his enhanced vision showed him a collection of cameras and reporters following his movements. It was time to show the world their faith in him, and in class 1A, was justified.


	36. Enter The Arena

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_36\. Enter the Arena_

'_If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!' Sun Tzu said that, and I'd say he knows a little more about fighting than you do, pal, because he invented it, and then he perfected it so that no living man could best him in the ring of honor._

_-RED Soldier, Meet the Soldier_

"Ten…" The announcer's voice echoed through the arena as Izuku took off, heading towards the swamp.

He looked around as he jetted through the air, his radar in active mode as it scanned the area. He was nearly over the large morass ahead of them, which was full of waterways choked by reeds, decaying logs, and stunted trees on small islands.

"Izuku, I can see two large groups of students headed your way! There's at least forty of them!" Mei said over the radio.

There was the sound of smacking lips, and the announcer said "Yawn...Oh, sorry, seven."

"Hagakure, you move ahead and secure those points for us!" Izuku ordered. "Tsu, get into the water quickly! Your mobility there is going to give us a big advantage."

"You got it, ribbit," Tsu replied, leaping into the nearest stream and vanishing beneath the surface with nary a ripple.

"I've got water breathing gear for us made!" Yaoyorozu called, tossing fins, goggles, and snorkels to Ashido. "Do you need some Hagakure?"

"Nope! They'd just give me away!" the invisible girl answered. "I'm on the points!"

"...That's enough, just get started already," the announcer called.

Immediately Izuku turned in the air, activating one of his missile pods. He let fly with a stream of eight missiles, a mixture of capture foam and smoke bombs, then detached the module and let it drop. It had a built-in transceiver that would flag it for pick up later. The large group of other testees let out a cry of alarm as the missiles raced towards them. Some of them let loose with quirks of their own, flying spines, razor sharp leaves, and flying tendril like hair. That just made the missiles detonate early, and the momentum still let the foam bind them as the smoke blinded them all. Izuku's hover boots deactivated, and he dropped down into the water, diving in with Ashido and Yaoyorozu.

"Tsu, how are we doing?" Izuku called as he sank down into the muck.

"That group you fired on is lost and confused, they won't be bothering us for a while," Tsu answered. "But the other one is still headed right for us, one of them is way out in front. He looks like he's got a speed quirk of some kind."

"Can you snag him with your tongue?" Izuku asked.

In reply, Izuku faintly heard a scream, then a loud splash nearby.

"She got him!" Ashido said eagerly. There was a short scuffle, then Ashido called, "He's down! Sprayed him with some mild acid in his eyes, he'll be blinded for a few hours at least!"

"Ok, just toss him onto the bank," Izuku said. "Get down into the water before they see you."

"Got it," the two girls called, and Izuku watched them on his radar, diving down and retreating into the swamp.

"Izuku, the rest of that group is keeping their distance! They look worried," Mei informed him. "But they're forming up to rush you."

"We won't even be here," Izuku said with a grin. "Come on, let's catch up to Hagakure and make sure she gets those points."

"I've already got five!" Hagakure said over the radio. "Mei's guiding me towards the ten, I-"

"Stop, look out!" Mei cried frantically. "I can see something in the water, it's not one of you and it's big!"

Izuku moved towards Hagakure, using the air jets from the hoverboots to propel himself through the water at high speeds. His suit was naturally waterproof and designed to be able to be used in aquatic environments, as you never knew when hero work could take you to the oddest of locals. He hadn't gone far though when his radar picked up a rapidly moving target, speeding through the water even faster than him, and heading right towards Hagakure, who was hiding on a small island.

"Look out!" Izuku warned.

"They can't see me, I'm-" Hagakure began, but let out a gasp of surprise as a dark grey form erupted out of the water, barreling towards her.

At the last moment, Hagakure was grabbed by Tsu's long tongue, yanking her to safety. The grey shape slammed into the island, letting out a sharp hiss of annoyance.

"It's a snake!" Ashido called. "Or, I guess someone who just looks like one?"

The snake-like man stood, his eyes yellow slits. His body was a mottled grey and brown, perfect for blending in with the dark swampy water. He still had hands, but his neck was long and ended in a pointed snout that had two long fangs that protruded when he opened his mouth. Izuku could see two lorenz pits; heat sensing organs that would see right through any invisibility or camouflage. His entire body was long and sinewy, ending in a long tail. With a hiss, he dove back into the water from where he'd come, circling away.

"Thanks Tsu," Hagakure said with a sigh. "He almost got me!"

"He had two point bands on him," Yaoyorozu reported. "It looked like he'd gotten at least eight points already, a two and a six."

"We'll just have to keep moving and get more points ourselves," Izuku said. "Hagakure, you good?"

"Yeah, let me get back on dry land though. Ugh, I'll be semi visible as I move though, I'm all covered in mud now."

Indeed, it did look like a few wet patches of mud climbed out of the water, though it was hard to notice unless you were looking for it.

"Keep moving, we've got to get at least 100 points ourselves," Izuku urged as he swam through the murky water.

"I found some," Froppy croaked. "There was a box down in the muck. It was only three though."

"Nice one, Tsu! That makes eight for us so far," Ashido encouraged, smiling despite the mud smeared over her face as she wiggled through the swamp.

"Mei, do you have a direction for us?" Izuku asked.

"I can see a ten point box up in a tree towards the center of the swampy area! Head 356 degrees for 78 meters. I'm keeping an eye on you, Izuku. I modified Hari's goggles real quick and she's spying for Bakugo and Todoroki. Whoops, gotta check in with Iida, keep going!"

"Ten points is a lot, let's snag it, but keep your eye out for more," Izuku said, and his team began to swim through the water once more as Hagakure lept from island to island, occasionally splashing through the water. Izuku kept his eyes open for the snake-like man who'd tried to ambush them earlier, but it was hard with the foliage and worse, his radar was near useless in the water. He'd have to see about installing a sonar module for when they conducted underwater missions.

"Izuku, multiple groups are headed right towards the same ten point box you are!" Mei warned them. "They're not moving quite as fast as you, but they'll be there not long after you are."

"Is it worth it to fight them over only ten points?" Yaoyorozu wondered.

"We have to start somewhere, and besides, maybe they got some points we can take from them!" Ashido encouraged.

"We grab the points and get out," Izuku stated. "I can pop a smoke grenade to cover our retreat. Tsu, Hagakure, move off deeper into the swamp to see if you can find more points."

"On it!" Hagakure agreed, and she and Tsu veered off slightly to head into the middle of the swampy area.

"Yaoyorozu, Ashido, cover me, I'm going in," Izuku said as they neared the tree with the point cache.

Leaping up out of the muck with a hover boost, Izuku immediately spied the points, which were ten feet up in a tree. The point box glowed with shifting colors, and the number ten was clearly painted on all six of its sides.

"There he is!"

"Don't let him get it!"

The cries behind Izuku made him wince and want to turn, but he trusted his companions. As fast as he could, he shot over to the tree, snagging the point box and then falling back towards the swamp. Behind him he heard cries of anger and pain, and looked back. Ashido had popped up out of the water to spray down some of the others rushing towards her, while Yaoyarozu had managed to make a large net that had tangled up another group. Both of them quickly submerged back into the water, and Izuku returned his focus to where he was landing. Something about the water was wrong though; he could see what looked like a large log floating on the surface, but the water about it was frothing slightly as if it had just been disturbed.

Izuku activated his boots again to jump away, and the log suddenly shot upward, revealing itself to be the snake quirk foe from before. It hissed in rage, its tail lashing out towards Izuku. He fired a brief pulse from his laser in response, causing the other boy to hiss in pain and anger. The snake splashed back down into the water, and Izuku landed on solid ground by the tree. He had to duck as spinning blades, a jet of steam, and pulses of star like energy shot at him. He felt something latch onto him and nearly jerked away, but upon seeing that it was a long pink tongue he relaxed.

He landed in the water with a splash by Tsu, who gave him a thumbs up.

"Thorry, can't really talk with mah tongue out," she said as it retracted.

"It's OK, find anything?" Izuku asked as they paddled away, using rushes and bushes to quickly lose their pursuers in the murk.

"We got three more points, Hagakure's trying to sneak towards a six point box we found but some people are fighting over it," Tsu told him.

"That's our next objective then," Izuku agreed. Twenty one down, and more to go.

Sure enough, as Izuku headed towards Hagakure's location, he spotted two groups fighting it out near two boxes worth a total of nine points. They were both larger than Izuku's group, consisting of 6-8 students each. The main conflict was between two mutant type quirk users, one of which looked like a large turtle with an armored shell, and the other seemed to be made of bright red bricks. Both were well over 2 meters tall and were pounding away at one another, kicking up mud and water. Beside them struggled several enhance quirk users, while behind them emitter types were launching projectiles into the fray.

"What a mess," Hakagure said in disgust. "No subtlety at all!"

"Can you get in and snag the points?" Izuku asked her.

Hagakure sighed. "No, with all the mud being sprayed around I'd be spotted in a second."

"Hmm. Yaoyorozu, can you make another net? A large one?" Izuku asked.

"I should have enough fat left, but my stores are running dry, even though I pigged out at lunch," Yaoyorozu said regretfully. "I can only store so many lipids for my quirk."

"It'll be worth it. They look like they've already collected a few points," Izuku said. "Ashido, you subdue them once we tangle them in the net, Tsu, Hagakure, you run in and grab the points as fast as you can."

A moment later, Yaoyorozu had made a net out of thick cable that was about 12 meters on each side. Take the net up in both arms, Izuku launched into the air, firing both his hoverboots and jetpack at maximum lift. He soared over the battlefield, causing the combatants to look up at him in shock. They had just started to react when Izuku dropped the net, causing it to envelop them. Yaoyarozu had made it of the same material as Shinso's capture weapon, which meant that when it fell over the fighters it started to stiffen. The more they struggled, the stiffer it became, and soon they were tangled up in the fibers. The turtle mutant looked as though it were going to break free, until Ashido started hosing it down with acid. She squealed in pain, withdrawing into her shell, and the other trapped testees wailed in distress.

"Sorry!" Izuku said as he landed. "But we need your points."

Some of them tried to resist feebly as Izuku ripped the point bands from them, but they were too tangled to put up much of a fight.

"Look out!" Hagakure called, and Izuku spun to see the snake mutant jump out of the muck. He prepared to fight, but the snake didn't go after him. Instead, it sprinted at the turtle, diving into her shell. She roared and popped back out, but it was too late. The snake had snagged several point bands she'd hidden inside, then ran back into the muck, diving in again.

"Not this time!" Tsu cried, and her tongue darted out. The snake hissed in shock as it was dragged back onto the land, and struck out towards Tsu as she reeled him in.

However, an invisible fist connected with his temples causing him to let out a groan, then slump to the ground.

"How many points does he have?" Izuku asked, tallying up what he and the others had collected. They'd gotten the nine points, plus another 16 from the other combatants.

"He had 11!" Tsu said happily, holding them up.

"Then we have 57," Yaoyorozu said. She quickly wrapped some netting around the snake mutant and shook it, so that it hardened around him. "That should hold him."

"Izuku! You've got to get moving again, your fight attracted a lot of attention!" Mei said in his ear. "Iida's up to 45 points, but they're about to get another 10 pointer."

"Got it," Izuku said, running for the water and diving back in, his points strapped to his arm. "How are Bakugo and Todoroki doing?"

"They've kept anyone from passing so far, but it's a hard fight. More and more testees are starting to turn back, and a lot of them seem to think they'll be able to just take points from those who went out and got them. Hari's still helping them though so they're doing OK."

"Right, where should we head next?" Izuku asked as they made their way away from the still trapped students as more approached.

"There's a seven point box hidden in some reeds about 30 meters away, but there's a group of three heading for it as well, they're close," Mei warned. "One of them is huge, he's nearly 3 meters tall, has some sort of quirk that turns him into a giant purple monster."

Sure enough, there was a huge purple man-thing splashing through the swamp, a long green tongue lolling from his head and a small tree trunk gripped in one hand like a club. On his back were perched a girl with an icey bow and arrow, and a man with a giant scroll on his back.

"Should we fight them?" Yaoyorozu asked hesitantly.

"They've got a bunch of points already!" Ashido said. "We can do it!"

"We have to hurry, let's take them!" Izuku agreed. Behind him, he heard new sounds of fighting as the groups that had been converging on them met and engaged one another.

"How do we take on the big guy?" Tsu asked as they hurried forward.

"We can't out muscle him, but we can bog him down," Izuku said. "Can you trip him up Tsu?"

As a reply, her tongue shot out from behind a veil of reeds, wrapping around the purple monsters leg. He let out a wail of surprise, and his companions tumbled off his back with a series of splashes.

"Ashido, hose him down!" Izuku ordered. The pink skinned hero jumped out of the water and threw a globule of acid at the other mutant, who wailed in pain as it hit his eyes. Izuku rushed onto land, slamming his fist into his opponent's face. The purple man splashed back into the mud, twitching and spluttering.

However, his companions had recovered. An ice arrow clanged against the Power Suit, frost rimming its surface as the mud and water on Izuku froze.

"Rune prison!" the man with the scroll shouted, and a glowing cage of light formed around Izuku as the scroll on the man's back glowed. He grinned in triumph, until Yaoyorozu crept up behind him from the water slamming a long quarterstaff she'd made into his knee. He groaned in agony, then fell into a puddle when Yaoyorozu hit him again on the backswing.

The frost archer tried to get off another shot, but Ashido flung acid balls at her. She gasped in surprise as her bow started to melt, but then flung a hand out towards Ashido, causing her next globule of acid to freeze in mid throw. Unperturbed, Ashido charged forward, fists swinging as she grinned at the thrill of the fight. The frost archer fought back for a moment, but then Tsu hopped at her from behind, kicking her in the back. The archer fell, and Ashido quickly stripped her of her points.

The light prison around Izuku vanished, and he hurried over to the point box. He flipped it open, revealing the seven point armband. He took it out, and was about to put it on when he heard a chuckle behind him.

"Hey there."

Izuku spun, but a foot slammed into him. A purple skinned girl with wicked pointed teeth and magenta hair laughed as she kicked again, knocking Izuku down. He tried to lash out, but the girl suddenly faded away.

"Naughty, naughty," a disembodied voice proclaimed. There was the sound of wet footfalls, then she appeared again behind Yaoyoruzu, kicking at her knee. Yaoyorozu grunted in pain and staggered to one knee, unable to defend herself in time. The purple girl raised a hand to deliver a final blow, when she suddenly exhaled and clutched at her stomach. An unseen hand slammed into the top of her head, driving the stealthy fighter into the muck. She twitched, then went limp, her eyes rolled back in her head.

"There's only room for one invisible girl in this test!" Hagakure proclaimed.

"You alright?" Ashido asked as she helped Izuku up.

"Yeah, thanks. What do we have now?" Izuku queried.

"Looks like they had another 18 between them, plus this seven," Hagakure said. "We'd better go though, that purple guy is waking up and he doesn't look happy!"

"We're three quarters of the way there!" Izuku said happily. "Mei, any suggestions?"

"Most of the easy points are already gone," Mei informed. "You should head back now though."

"What, why? Did Iida get a bunch of points?" Ashido demanded.

"Um, he's at 62, but Hari says that Bakugo and Todoroki need your help, stat. I can see them fighting now, and it doesn't look good. Their groups are fighting at least 50 other students, just the ten of them, and they're only in teams of five still. If you don't hurry, they're going to be overwhelmed," Mei informed.

"Crap, let's go!" Hagakure urged. "Tsu, can you carry me? I can't swim as fast as you."

"I'd appreciate a ride too, my leg is hurt," Yaoyorozu said through gritted teeth.

"I got you," Izuku said, taking Yaoyorozu's hand. "Come on!"

They dove back into the water, following Mei's directions on the best route back to the central testing hub. They managed to avoid any more fights, though they did pick up four more points to bring their total to 79.

When they crawled out of the swamp though, a group of six other testees saw them and came running.

"Looks like we've got our own party!" Ashido laughed. "You good Yaoyorozu?"

"I'll be fine," the creation hero said. She dropped down to one knee, pulling out a sling with her quirk. She scooped up a rock from the ground and loaded it, twirling the weapon over her head. "Let's go!"

Tsu snagged one of the leaders with her tongue, a girl with hooves and ears like a horse. She spun about, tossing the enemy off into the swamp, where she landed with a loud splash. Then the others were on them, and Izuku found himself in hand to hand with a boy who glowed with green energy. The energy seemed to cause Izuku's hits to bounce right off the other boy, who grinned and slammed his fist into Izuku. The punch was much harder than it should have been, though it still just clanged off Izuku's armor.

"A shielding quirk!" Izuku guessed. He realized he'd never be able to punch through it quickly, and released his grapple. Ducking low, he wrapped one end around the boy, who's shield made him slippery. Despite his opponent's struggles, Izuku got the grapple wrapped around his chest and arm, tying them together. Then he lifted into the air, launching himself back into the swamp. He landed with a splash, causing the wriggle. The water was repelled by his shield, but he sank into the muck with it, getting trapped.

Izuku let the grapple go and quickly ratcheted it back in, then took off again. The boy grabbed onto him, but to do so he had to deactivate his quirk. Grinning, Izuku simply peeled him off with his superior strength, then flung him down. The boy landed with a loud splash, coughing and sputtering.

When he landed, Izuku saw that the others had already taken care of their other foes. One was down with a large welt from one of Yaoyorozu's stones, while two were groaning and covered with mild acid burns. The other student had been laid out by Hagakure's nearly impossible to dodge fists, and was curled up in a ball to try to shield herself from the unseen blows.

"They only had 8 points!" Ashido grumped. "Guess they were just planning on taking them from other people. Good thing they were bad at it!"

"Let's go help Bakugo and the others," Izuku's aid, pointing to where a large dust cloud had formed. There were loud bangs and flashes of light from within it, and there was clearly a large battle taking place within.

"Right!" Yaoyorozu said, standing with the help of her quarterstaff. "Leave me behind, I'll just slow you down."

Tsu shook her head and stood to help her friend along. "Not a chance! We're class 1A! If one of us fails, we all fail."

"No woman left behind," Ashido agreed. "Come on sister! Let's go rescue Bakugo! Can you imagine the look on his face?"

"He'll be all 'rawr what are you idiots doing I don't need help grr," Hagakure laughed as they hurried forward.

"Mei, how's it looking up there?" Izuku asked.

"They're holding for now, but they need help! Hurry Izuku!" Mei urged.

Izuku checked his suit's levels. He'd drained a lot of power, was out of missiles, and had some slight damage. But as long as he could move, he could fight, and he wasn't going to abandon his friends. He strode forward, keeping an eye out for more attackers. They could do this. Together.

_Authors Note:_

_Hurricane Douglas is set to impact Hawaii starting tomorrow evening, so I'm posting this a couple of days early due to the rather high likelihood that I'll lose power for anywhere from hours to days and thus won't be able to stick to my regularly scheduled plan. Regular updates will resume next week, provided that the lights come back on in time. Thanks for your understanding. _


	37. Demon of Battle

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_37\. Demon of Battle_

_Sound, trumpets! Let our bloody colors wave; And either victory or else a grave!_

_Prince Edward, Henry the VI, Part 3_

Watching Izuku and his cadre run off, Bakugo snorted. "You'd better get those damn points, Midoriya."

"What, you jealous?" Shinso teased.

"Don't worry Bakugo, Izuku and the others won't fail!" Uraraka said with a wide grin. "And we'll pound anybody who tries to get past us!"

"You're damn right, and we'll find some points of our own!" Bakugo snarled, slapping his fist into his palm and letting loose a small explosion. "Right, Sticky, can you set up some traps for us?"

"The name's Sero, is that so hard? But not really. This is just a flat, open field. Any traps I lay now won't do much."

"What if I float a bunch of your tape up in the air?" Uraraka suggested. "I could let it fall down if anyone tries to attack us and they'd get tangled up! Then we can crush them no problem. "

Bakugo looked away. It was hard to look at her when she was being all badass like that. Made him want to blush, and he couldn't show how he felt. She had to hate him, just like the rest.

"That's a good plan," Tokoyomi agreed. "Bakugo, you and I should be our frontline fighters. With Dark Shadow, I'm more than a match for most people, even if this bright open field isn't me at my best."

"Bet stupid Midoriya didn't take that into account," Bakugo muttered.

"Hey, nothing's perfect," Shinso said with a shrug. "I'll just use my capture weapons and see who I can catch off guard. Yo, Todoroki, we've got the south and east, you guys watch the north and west."

"I'll use my ice to block off the north, that's where the canyon is," Todoroki said over the radio. "A strong enough quirk user can get through it, but it will buy us some time."

"Yeah, you do that icy hot," Bakugo said, squatting down and scanning the horizon. They were at the center of a wide, dusty plane, with rocky ridges to their north and open ground everywhere else. "I just hope we get ourselves a good fight. I've been bored out of my goddamn mind since Kamino."

"With all the training we've done?" Sero asked, tape spewing out of his elbows and floating into the air. Uraraka had a look of concentration on her face as her fingers ran over the less sticky part of the tape. Bakugo wondered how long she could keep that up. She hurled if she tried too hard, but she was getting better at holding it in.

"Not like I could go full force against any of you," Bakugo snapped in reply. "I'd hurt someone and you'd all bitch about it for the rest of eternity."

"I think you're just going soft," Shinso teased. "Admit it, you like us."

"Go sniff after Aoiyama, you're not pretty enough for me," Bakugo growled.

"Wow, am I going to have to start doing bed checks on the two of you? And here I thought I only had to do that with my sister and Midoriya."

"Big Sis?" Urakara asked in surprise.

"Yep, it's me," Hari said over the radio, her voice low. "I'm pretending to be a reporter. Mei hooked me up with a camera I can train on the field with a nice zoom. Hope she didn't steal it or someone's gonna be mad. If I start narrating something loudly, it's because I've spotted someone heading for you."

"Isn't this cheating or something?" Sero said worriedly. The tape stopped coming out of his arms and he shook his head. "That's all I got for now, much more and I won't be able to do much in a fight. I need a break."

"As a great man once said, it's only cheating if you get caught," Hari stated. "Besides, I can't sit this one out! It's boring as hell up here."

"Ha! Just let us know if there's a fight coming our way," Bakugo laughed.

"Well you get your wish. There's a group of ten hiding behind that ridge on your 2 o'clock," Hari said. "Looks like 10 of 'em. Careful, they look-"

"First blood is mine!" Bakugo roared. "Tokoyami, on me!"

He launched himself forward with an explosion, careful to aim his backdraft so it didn't hurt one of his classmates. Dammit, he was starting to like them, even a dumbass like Sero. And they were starting to respect him. No need to ruin that now.

The look on the faces of the would-be ambushers as they saw Bakugo fall out of the sky, screaming bloody murder, was absolutely princeless. One of them looked like they'd just wet themselves. Bakugo slowed his descent with a rippling series of explosions, which he also used to spin himself to the side. Just in time too, because one of his prey thought they could fight back, and had sent a crackling beam of energy towards where Bakugo would have been. Amateurs.

Bakugo landed and unleashed a massive blast at the ground, throwing up dirt and smoke. There were cries of pain and rage at that, and a girl lept at him, her skin molting as she transformed into an ogre-like creature with a dark tattooed hide. It didn't matter though: Bakugo just raised one hand and let fly with another explosion as he dodged to the side. The ogre girl gasped in pain, blinded, covering her face with her arms. That let Bakugo slam his leg into her gut, and she went down hard.

The others were just recovering, getting ready to attack Bakugo, when there was a battle screech from above. Dark shadow fell on the remaining victims, his talons rending and tearing at cried in panic and tried to run. That was a mistake. Bakugo took them out first, hurling forward with another blast-propelled jump. His legs slammed into one's back, causing them to collapse, while he blasted at the feet of another. They cartwheeled through the air and slammed into a rock, sliding down and collapsing.

Behind Bakugo, Dark Shadow was having a rough time after having quickly taken out the boy who'd shot the energy beams. One of their foes could make a bronze shield he carried glow with a bright light, and Dark Shadow was retreating before it.

So, him first then.

Running forward, Bakugo stretched out one arm and let out a blast that caused the boy to stumble, the glow around his shield vanishing. Dark Shadow pounced, ripping the shield away and tossing it back down the ridge, then slamming the boy into the ground.

The others were easy pickings, and Bakugo quickly took care of them.

"Nice work," he told Dark Shadow, spitting out a bit of dirt. "That's these idiots taken care of."

"Stop being so reckless, we're on defense you moron!" Dark Shadow squawked.

"Heh. Best defense is to kick the other guy's teeth in," Bakugo chuckled, then leapt down off the ridge.

In his absence, the others hadn't been idle. A big group had tried to charge over the plain and attack, but Uraraka had dropped the tape on them, and they were still stuck. Shinso had mind controled a couple that had managed to get free, and they were now helpfully beating their former allies into submission.

"That's enough, lay down and roll around on the tape until you can't move," Shinso ordered, once the last of the trapped enemies had been kicked into blubbering uselessness. His brainwashed slaves helpfully dropped down and tangled themselves up.

"Coulda used them," Bakugo complained. "Made good meat shields."

"One good hit and I lose control of them," Shinso said with a shake of his head. "Not worth it if they turn on us in the middle of a fight."

Hari's voice crackled over the line. "Another large group of 12 is approaching from the east! Can they possibly have found enough points to pass yet?"

"They're mine!" Bakugo laughed, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He turned to glare, but it was Urakaka who had touched him. That made him blush, which only made him angry at his own weakness. Now was not the time to develop a crush, dammit!

"Wait, I think I have an idea," Urakaka said. "Do you think you could break the ground into medium sized chunks?"

"Yeah, obviously," Bakogo snapped. "Why?"

"Blow up some chunks of ground, and I'll make them float. Then Sero can send them at whoever is coming after us," Urakara explained.

Bakugo grinned; that was the kind of plan he could get behind, one with reckless violence. He quickly ran across the ground, letting explosions ripple out from his feet, tearing up the rocky soil. Uraraka hurried after him, making the clumps float into the air. Using his tape, Sero slingshotted the hunks of earth in the direction that Bakugo could now see a large group approaching from.

"Release!" Uraraka cried, and the hunks of earth started raining down on their enemies. Most of it harmlessly impacted into the ground, but what did hit the other testees caused havoc in their ranks, as some dived for cover, others activated defensive quirks, and a few were knocked to the ground by the raining debris.

"Keep it up!" Shinso told them. "It's working, they're running away!"

"Cowards, get back here and fight!" Bakugo snarled, shaking his fist at their now fleeing foes.

"No time for that knucklehead, a speed quirk user is heading straight for you from the south east! They look like they've got their points and are trying to run right past you," Hari informed.

"Shinso and I will handle this, you prepare another barrage," Tokoyami stated. He moved to intercept the blurry form racing towards them, a girl who appeared to have wheels on her arms and legs, and was racing forward like some sort of human car.

She tried to veer out of the way as Dark Shadow attacked, but that brought her right towards Shinso. With a flick of his wrist, he sent his capture weapon out, wrapping it around one of her wheels. That made her spin out of control, crashing into the ground. Dark Shadow was on her in an instant, ripping away three bands for a total of 11 points.

"What should we do?" Shinso asked as the girl struggled.

"You should let me go, I'm not a threat!" the girl snapped, but then her eyes glazed over as Shinso took control.

"Send her out to lure someone in, or maybe bring us more points?" Uraraka suggested.

Shinso shook his head. "Won't work. Unless I know exactly where to send her, it's no good. The directions have to be very specific and clear. She can't act on her own initiative while I control her."

"Just hold on to her then," Bakugo ordered. "Next group, Sero tapes one of my stun grenades to her. She runs at them and lights it like a suicide bomber!"

"That's pretty gruesome," Sero said, shaking his head.

"Oh back off, she won't get more than some minor burns herself, it's just a flash bang," Bakugo snapped. "What, you think she's cute or something?"

Sero shrugged, taking the grenade from Bakugo. "No, it's just, making suicide bombers? Not very heroic."

"Do I look heroic to you?" Bakugo snapped.

"Now that you mention it, not really," Sero agreed, taping the grenade onto the girl, who was now standing still, drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. "But then why are you even here if you don't want to be a hero?"

"I never said that!" Bakugo growled. "I am going to be a hero; the strongest hero who ever lived!"

"What, that's it? You want to be a hero to be strong?" Sero demanded skeptically.

That made Bakugo shake his head in disgust. "No, I'm going to be a hero because I am strong!"

"What, you believe that it's the strong's duty to protect the weak or something like that? You sure don't act like it," Sero observed.

Urakaka laughed. "You didn't see him with Kota. It was really sweet, wasn't it Shinso?"

"Made me wanna barf," Shinso agreed.

"Shut up. Hari, who else is coming?" Bakugo demanded.

"There's a few groups headed in your direction, but they're still scavenging for points," Hari told them. "Todoroki's fended off a few groups as well."

The waiting made Bakugo pace back and forth, working up a sweat for when more challengers appeared. He wasn't going to fail; not this time. Even if no one's life was on the line, he couldn't fail again. He still saw Hatsume's battered body every night in his mind's eye, still saw the bloody and broken body of Midoriya. He'd been weak. He hadn't saved them.

Not this time.

"Alright, there's two groups headed your way, East and South," Hari reported. "They'll get to you at about the same time. South group is about eight, east group looks like six."

"Well what is it?" Sero asked, rubbing his head. "Eight or is there more?"

"I think someone has some sort of cloning quirk, so it's hard to tell," Hari told them. "You're in for a fight though, so get ready."

"What's our plan of attack?" Shinso asked.

"I have a plan," Bakugo said with a wicked smile.

Uraraka grinned back. "Punch their teeth in?"

God, she was hot when she talked like that. "Launch more of those dirt rockets to the south!" Bakugo roared. "Shinso, on me! We take out the east group! Tokoyami, take out whoever gets through the barrage!"

"The dust is darkening the skies," Tokoyami mused, drawing Dark Shadow about him like a cloak. "The darkness shall be our ally."

Damn bird brain was a drama queen. But he could fight.

"You think we can take on all six alone?" Shinso asked Bakugo as they moved forward.

"I'll try to leave one for you," Bakugo laughed. "That way you'll feel more useful!"

The group heading for them was jogging at a good pace, two muscled enhancer brawlers out front with what Izuku figured were three emitters and one mutant in the back for long ranged support.

"Hey, you ready to pay the toll?" Shinso called to them as he and Bakugo started to run forward. There was no reply; either they already knew about Shinso's quirk, or they just weren't the talkative types.

"It's your points and your lives!" Bakugo cackled, feeling his blood pound in his ears as he ran forward, fingers twitching.

"Usually it's points or life," Shinso pointed out.

"WHERE'S THE FUN IN THAT?!" Bakugo screamed, leaping into the air with a massive explosion. The two emiter types fired at him, one shooting out a stream of bubbles, the other launching long sharp fingernails at him. Bakugo dodged easily, guiding himself through the air to land right in the middle of them. The mutant type, who looked like a walking human coil of spring, swung his arms at Bakugo, but he dodged to the side and fired off two blasts at his foes feet. He didn't actually want to kill them, after all, but he did have a reputation to maintain.

The spring boy went flying, bouncing off to the side. The fingernail girl slashed at Bakugo with her long talons, but he caught the blow on his armored bracers, then let fly with a weak but bright blast in her face. She cried out and fell back, but Bakugo grunted as something slammed into his back. He rolled with the blow, falling to the ground and using his momentum to allow his feet to face his attacker, then unleashed a large blast with his feet that made him tumble away. The enhancer cried out and fell back.

The other enhancer was struggling in Shinso's capture weapon, his skin turned to rust colored scales.

"What's the matter, you all tied up?" Shinso teased.

The other boy snarled, his face contorted in frustrated rage. "Let me go you piece of-" And Shinso did, though his mind was clearly now in Shinso's grasp.

"Go give your friend a big hug," Shinso ordered, pointing to the girl shooting out the bubbles.

"What? Sabi no-" But it was too late, and Sabi tackled his former ally to the ground.

"Shinso, we need your help, send that wheel girl out to distract our group!" Uraraka called.

"Go give the grenade to them," Shinso ordered, pointing.

The wheel girl stumbled into a run, heading towards the group coming out of the east. One of them could project a large barrier made of plants above them, and was keeping off the rain of dirt and rocks. Once the car girl ran forward, they let out a whoop.

"Come on Suku, take out these guys!"

Apparently, she was from their school, and the group was happy to let her join them. Too late, they realized something was wrong, but then the flash bang went off right in their midst. The barrier went down, and they were soon half buried in a pile of rocks and dirt. The one large mutant type that got through was first tied up by Sero's tape, then beaten down by Dark Shadow.

As for Bakugo's group, he delivered the coup de grace on the half-conscious nail girl, knocking her out cold, while Shinso had Sabi tangle himself so thoroughly in the coil boy that neither of them could move even after Sabi had the mind to realize what he was doing.

"Ok, I know you guys just fought off two groups, but there's even more headed your way now!" Hari said, her tone half panicked. "And this time, there's a lot of them! It looks like a coordinated assault from multiple schools! I don't even know what's happening, but they're all banding together."

Faintly, echoing in the distance, Bakugo heard a single, repeated word: "Crush."

"It's the UA crush," the bubble girl laughed, clutching her side and wincing. "A bunch of the others have banded together to take you guys out. Damn kids, you're only first years! This was my last chance to get my license while I was still in school…"

"Yeah? Well, I guess heroes don't need an extra like you," Bakogu said, grinning and pointing his hand at her, snaps and pops coming from his fingers.

She gasped and scooted away, looking pale.

"Go, tell them!" Bakugo roared. "Tell them that a real hero waits for them! I defeated the League of Villains! I defeated Muscular! And I'll defeat a bunch of half trained punks who've never even seen a real fight!"

Paling, the bubble girl scrambled away, high tailing it away from Bakugo and Shinso.

"I think we should fall back to the others," Shinso said, wrapping his capture weapon back around his arms. "This is too much even for you."

Bakugo spat to the side. "We'll stand our ground together. Those freaks won't have a chance."

"Bakugo!" Uraraka cried as she ran over, Sero and Tokoyami right behind her. "What are we going to do?"

"Same shit we've been doing all day," Bakugo snarled. "But bigger. Sero! I need another tape net!"

"Yeah, ok," Sero agreed, wincing. He started to shoot out streams of tape, and Bakugo grabbed one end, running away. "Weigh it down with rocks! We'll need to get them good this time."

In minutes, they had another large tape net woven, and Uraraka launched it up into the air. She looked faintly grim, but she gritted her teeth and kept the mass of tape and rocks afloat.

Bakugo paced back and forth again, grinning wickedly.

"Crush! Crush! Crush! Crush!"

The horde coming at them was at least fifty people strong. There were all sorts of types in it, from a massive boy who looked like nothing so much as a huge therapod to a girl who broke into a hundred copies of herself that were no more than a few centimeters tall as she ran towards them.

"Now?" Uraraka gasped as the crowd hurried towards them. It was breaking into two groups, trying to go around the tape net.

"Tokoyami! Get Dark shadow up there and knock the net to the side!" Bakugo ordered.

"On it!" the black bird screamed, flying up and slapping the tap net. It drifted over, and Bakugo nodded.

"Now!"

The net crashed down, taping up several dozen people, but more than half of them just kept right on coming. Blasts of wind, globs of boogers, and a sudden hail of baseballs started to rain down on Bakugo's team. He and Tokoyomi battered away most of the projectiles, but a few got through, peppering them but not causing serious damage.

"Stick together, no going off on your own!" Bakugo snarled as the first of their opponents closed in. "Watch each other's backs! If one of us falls, we're all weak!"

"Now you want to work together," Sero muttered, but he didn't argue.

And then the battle was joined. Sero launched streams of tape, grabbing on to the front runners and hurling them back into their comrades. Shinso's capture weapon flicked out, trapping two more, but then the group slammed into them. Bakugo forced a few back with a series of rippling blasts, but he couldn't jump around like he normally did in battle: he had to watch his companions' backs.

A girl who had suddenly grown to be four meters tall swung a massive arm at Uraraka, but she ducked, touching the girl's arm. With a cry the girl started to float up into the air, but Uraraka had no time to recover, grappling with a boy who seemed to be able to turn to smoke. Tokoyami's dark shadow had covered him like a mantle, and he swung out with wide, sweeping blows, knocking back the army of tiny girls with high pitched squeals. Sero flung out masses of tape, then kicked and punched at the gummed up foes they faced.

Bakogu used one hand to blow away the smoke boy giving Uraraka trouble, and in turn she touched the giant dinosaur mutant, who floated up to join the giant girl. Everything was a mass of swirling confusion. Shinso managed to take control of several fools who responded to his jibes, sending them to throw themselves back at their friends. With so many foes, Bakogu was forced to use more massive blasts, some that could have even been lethal. He hoped his aim was good, but he saw he'd bloodied and burned quite a few of their attackers. But it was hard to care.

More and more, all that mattered was the joy singing in Bakugo's heart as he brought his knee up to break one fool's nose and launched an explosion into a group with his arm. He felt so alive, so strong, so WONDERFUL as he fought.

Uraraka cried out in pain as a girl with whip-like hair lashed at the gravity manipulator, and with a cry of rage Bakugo popped one of his grenades, hurling at the girl. Her hair caught fire and a horrible smell filled the air. She went down, bloody, but Uraraka was back on her feet.

Something cracked up against Bakugo's head, and he stumbled, dazed. A boy with half a dozen baseballs on his belt grinned, running forward and beaning Bakugo again before he could react. Bakugo tried to blast him, but the baseball boy jumped out of the way, raising an arm to throw another ball. Uraraka jumped at him, her head colliding with the ball players midsection. He gasped and fell to the ground, but Uraraka had another attacker to fight off, this one a green skinned girl with leaves growing out of her arms that lashed at Uraraka.

Bakugo flung himself forward, blowing her away with a blast. His arms were sore now, his hands numb from the constant recoil of his explosions, but he couldn't stop. Instinctively, he put his back to Urakaka's, and she pressed up against him as they fought desperately to stay on their feet against a dozen attackers. Bakugo had lost track of Shinso and the others in the melee, and at this point didn't even care. He laughed and laughed, unleashing blast after blast. He heard someone shrieking in rage, and realized it was Uraraka, her voice a wailing call to battle.

Bakugo took more hits, and blood poured out from several serious wounds, but he stayed on his feet. He couldn't fall, he was a god, a demon, a force of nature. Nothing could stop him. And then, there was nothing. Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, Bakugo realized that the only person moving beside him was Uraraka. Both of them were panting, gasping for breath and nearly exhausted.

At their feet were dozens of injured foes in a ring around them. Beyond that, their enemies were lining up again, dragging allies to their feet, taking a breath themselves.

"You...you good?" Uraraka gasped. She jerked her head to the side, vomiting, her quirk overused. But she just wiped her mouth and grinned at the enemies surrounding them. It was perhaps the most attractive thing Bakugo had ever seen her do. "I could do this all day!"

"You call that a fight?" Bakugo said, throwing his head back and laughing. "You idiots are weak! I got hit harder by my mother for talking smack!"

"You're bleeding, UA! Both of you," one of their foes called. "Give it up! Just let us past, we got our points, it's no skin off your backs if a few of us pass before you."

"Hey, Uraraka, you feel like losing today?" Bakugo asked, wiping a trickle of blood off of the tip of his nose.

A nervous giggle escaped Uraraka, which she turned into a nearly hysterical, maniacal belly laugh.

"Yeah, me neither," Bakugo agreed. He raised his hand, beckoning. "Which of you assholes wants to be the next loser? I'll bury you right here, right now. Hell, I don't think I've even managed to kill anyone today, and I can't sleep at night without a little blood on my hands!"

"Guys, I don't think he's kidding," someone said nervously. "I think he killed Hea for attacking his girlfriend. Maybe we should just back off."

"He's bluffing! He'd fail if he killed someone. Besides, they're from UA, they're supposed to be Paragons of Justice or whatever, it's all just an act."

"There used to be two more of us, you know," Uraraka said, her tone wistful. "I wish you'd been gentler, Bakugo. I sort of liked Akai."

"She was weak," Bakugo growled. "Her and Mineta got what they deserved. Besides, as long as you keep your damn mouth shut, they'll never find the bodies."

"Guys, he is the one who took down Muscular. Maybe...maybe he's not bluffing. All the rumors say Katsuki Bakugo is a maniac that no one likes…"

"Shut up, we just have to-"

"Reinforcements are here!" Mei screamed in Bakugo's ear. "Attack now!"

"Shut up Hatsume!" Bakugo screamed. "Don't tell me what to do!"

And then he attacked anyway, pivoting at the same time as Uraraka and surging forward, both of them screaming like harpies, their faces a mass of blood and bruises, their hero costumes torn and bloodied, their bodies exhausted. In the face of their ferocity, their opponents quavered, falling back with expressions of terror written across their faces.

If it had just been the two of them, battered and worn, their opponents might have rallied and managed to turn the tide. But then a long tongue shot out, grabbing someone at the rear and jerking them off into the smoke and dust with a scream. And the morale of the other testees utterly broke. Bakugo laughed as he lit off a weak explosion, and Uraraka screamed as her fist smashed into someone's face.

"PLUS ULTRA!" Ashido and Hagakure screamed, and a stream of acid shot into the crowd as Hagakure's invisible blows started taking people down. Then, damn him, Midoriya landed right into the middle of the group, slamming down on top of two other testees and then laying about with punches and kicks.

Whatever semblance of cohesion or purpose the other students had vanished. They stopped fighting back, stopped trying to attack, and simply tried in a desperate scramble to get away. Until stones started flying out of the smoke, cracking into their arms and legs, causing them to fall.

"Surrender!" Izuku bellowed, his voice amplified by his suit somehow. "Lay down and surrender! Or face the consequences!"

Nearly as one, every one of the attackers who was still on their feet flopped to the ground, begging for mercy.

"What the hell took you so long?!" Bakugo snarled at Izuku. "You idiots get lost or something?"

"S-sorry, getting our points took longer than we thought it would," Izuku said, looking down. "Um, we only have 87 points, so, um, we can't all pass yet…"

"Well then get back out there and get some more!" Bakugo snapped. He kicked at one of the whimpering students who'd been trying to crawl away. "More of these idiots are going to come, and I'm not letting a single one through until I can pass!"

"Hey, some of these guys got points," Ashido pointed out.

"Yeah! Hand over your points, or face the wrath of Class 1A!" Hagakure declared.

Bakugo glanced down, and saw that the girl he'd just kicked had a few points on her arm bands. He grinned, bending over, making a few explosions flicker out of his fingers. "I'm not going to have to ask, am I?"

"No! No! Just take them," the girl pleaded, ripping the bands off and handing them over.

Satisfied, Bakugo collected her points, and then grabbed more from the others who were all too eager to hand theirs over, and strip the points off their unconscious comrades, all to get the Madman of UA the hell away from them.

"Dammit!" Bakugo snapped when they met up with Shinso, Sero, and Tokoyami. They were battered and bruised as well, but a wall of six large bodyguards Shinso was mind controlling were formed up to protect them.

"What?" Sero asked. "You're the one who ran off. After you said not to, by the way. Your fault if you got hurt." Not that Sero looked much better. He had a black eye to go with quite the collection of cuts and bruises, and his elbows were bleeding from making too much tape.

"No, dumbass, they had nearly 500 points on them!" Bakugo explained, feeling foolish. "We could have just waited for these idiots to come instead of sending Midoriya to go goof off in the swamp!"

Something wet smacked the back of his head, and Bakugo turned to see Tsu glaring at him, her long tongue dangling to the side. "We weren't goofing off, ribbit! Yaoyorozu got hurt, and we all fought hard!"

"Yeah whatever," Bakugo grumbled. He put his hand to his ear and flicked on his radio "Hey, Todoroki, Iida, you got enough points? Looks like we got some extras."

"We were about to say the same thing," Todoroki's calm voice answered. "Iida brought back some, but then we had to fight a bunch of these wannabes. We've got over 600 points now."

"JUST BECAUSE YOU GOT MORE ICY-HOT DOESN'T MAKE YOU BETTER THAN ME!" Bakugo shouted.

"Sorta think it does," Kirishima's voice said. He sounded tired, but rather smug.

"Well whatever. Everyone got enough points?" Bakugo demanded. The dust was settling, and he could see over to where Todoroki and Iida's groups were. They looked battered as well, and their half of the field was also littered with wounded and unconscious defeated testees. Damn, had they killed anyone? Bakugo really didn't want his first kill to be some stupid kid that just wanted to pass a damn test. He needed to kill someone who deserved it.

"Should have killed Muscular when I had the chance," Bakugo grumbled. "He'd have been a good first."

"Oh god," one of the fallen foes groaned. "Please don't kill me, I want to live!"

"ATTENTION!" a voice rang out over the loudspeaker. "THE TESTING IS SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! CHRIST! A man takes a nap and everything goes straight to hell…"

"Um, guys, problem," Hari's voice said over the radio. "Er, I think they figured me out."

Sudden sounds of a struggle were broadcast over the radio, and then Mei's frantic voice said, "Izuku, they're going to take me! No let go don't-"

Izuku suddenly launched into the air, and Bakugo and the others winced as a voice shrieked in their ears:

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

"Uraraka, I need a lift," Bakugo growled. Without hesitating, Uraraka jumped on Bakugo's back, and a second later they were both weightless, Bakugo shot them forward on explosions, a manic grin plastered on his face.

"YOU HURT HATSUME AND I'LL CARVE IT OUT OF YOUR FLESH ASSHOLES!"

"We're coming," Iida's voice said over the radio. "We've got a fixture on Hatsume's location. Hold on."

The loud speakers suddenly crackled to life. "They're not hurting her! You, UA students, stop! Let her go you morons, I just said to take her radio! Crap, they're not stopping!"

Bakugo ignored the frantic voice, which was now begging him to land and stop. He was nearly to Hatsume, who was being held by several now panicked looking men in suits in the bleachers high above the testing arena.

"Look, class, just calm down. They'll let both Hatsume sisters go," Mr. Aizawa's voice said over the PA system. "You will, right? Because I'm pretty sure Midoriya and Bakugo both don't know the meaning of the word 'restraint' when it comes to their friends.'"

The suits immediately dropped Mei and scrambled away, looking frantic to be anywhere but near Bakugo.

"Hmph," Bakugo grunted. "Guess you can let us down," he told Uraraka.

"Let's just make sure Mei's alright," Uraraka urged, sounding worried. "She looks scared."

Bakugo didn't argue, taking them in for a landing beside Midoriya. The nerd ran over to hug his squeeze, who was babbling and crying. Bakugo put his hand to his ear. "She looks fine, you guys can relax. We'll let you know if they try anything else."

"Negative, we're not stopping," Todoroki replied. "We're nearly there anyway."

Hari made her way over, pulling both Midoriya and her sister into a hug, tears in her eyes as the Hatsume continued to babble. Did she ever shut up? Whatever, at least everyone was safe now.

A couple of minutes later, strands of tape flew up onto the bleachers, and the entirety of class 1A scrambled up to crowd around Izuku and Mei. Bakugo made his way to the back, collapsing into one of the seats. "Dammit. Guess we lost," he grumbled.

Uraraka sat down beside him with a sigh. "Yeah, I mean, we were cheating. Guess we should have thought about that."

Bakugo shrugged. "Not like we could have done anything else. Otherwise Hatsume would have jumped down and demanded to take the test with Midoriya."

"Ha! I bet she would have," Uraraka laughed. She held out a fist to Bakugo. "Thanks, by the way. You had my back."

Gently, Bakugo tapped the fist, careful not to ignite any of the sweat that coated him. "Yeah. Same to you. You got grit. I'll fail with you any day."

Bakugo leaned back, closing his eyes. Oh well. He could always turn vigilante. Heroes had too many rules anyway.


	38. A Test of Mercy

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_38\. A Test of Mercy_

_When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping._

_-Fred Rogers_

"So, you thought cheating on the License Exam would be a good idea?" Mr. Aizawa demanded as he strode up to them.

Izuku swallowed, stepping forward. "It's my fault, sir. Mei just...wanted to help. I had Yaoyorozu make the radios like she did in Kamino and the Training Camp, and well, Mei just sort of started coordinating us like she did then, too."

"It wasn't cheating, anyone can make a radio," Mei grumbled. "You can even just buy them at the store!"

"Hey, don't take the blame for this, Midoriya," Todoroki said, stepping forward as well. "Any of us could have shut it down or taken our radios out, but we didn't."

"Didn't seem right to," Kirashima said, looking down at his battered hands. His knuckles were sunken and bleeding; even with his quirk he'd taken and given quite the pounding. "Hatsume's part of the class, we-"

"I keep telling everyone to call me Mei! Hari's right there! How am I supposed to know who you're talking to?! She's Hari, and I'm Mei, how hard is it?!"

"I don't mind if she doesn't," Hari said with a shrug. "But maybe we have more important things to worry about, Mei?"

"It was on all of us, sir," Iida said, hanging his head. "I'm sorry we let you down."

"Oh don't worry, you didn't," Aizawa said, suddenly grinning. "That was perhaps the most impressive display I've ever seen. Do you realize they originally suspended the test because not enough people were going to pass?"

"What!?" the class looked up in shock.

"But, I mean, we only got like a 1000 points or something right?" Kaminari said, sounding puzzled. "Did they just put out exactly the right number of points?"

"You may have only collected 1167 points, but you also put down so many testees that are going to require medical attention that they weren't going to have enough left over to pass," Aizawa explained. "They only realized Mei was feeding you information when she hopped onto their radio line and started explaining to them how flawed their process was, and when someone noticed that Hari's camera still had the lense cap on."

"Crap," Hari muttered. "I knew I had forgotten something."

"Their design is seriously flawed," Mei ranted. "Look at how many people got hurt! If you want to make people heroes you can't go around having them beat up each other, you should only beat up bad guys! And for people like Izuku who rely on power and equipment, there's no way to refit and refuel during the test! I explained to them I have a system for refueling Izuku mid-fight if he needs it but-"

"You do?" Izuku asked, surprised.

"Well, I will, I came up with the idea just now but it will be very easy to implement, along with the surveillance drones," Mei said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Who cares how it happened," Bakugo said, not even bothering to open his eyes from where he was sprawled on the seats. Uraraka was next to him, snoring softly.

Izuku felt like laying down and joining them; he was utterly exhausted from his exertions during the test and his arm stump ached horribly. He really wasn't fully recovered yet.

"Whatever happened, they caught us, so we failed. Big whoop. We're gonna get expelled or something now?" Bakugo demanded, opening one bloodshot eye. "I figure we can all just go vigilante. Too much paperwork to be a regular hero anyway."

"Bakugo!" Iida cried in horror. "We cannot just go vigilante!"

Bakugo cracked open his other eye and smirked. "You gonna hang up your engines and swear off hero work if they kick us out?"

"Well, no, but I mean, that's against the rules…" Iida trailed off, blushing.

"And we've not been following the rules since at least Kamino," Todoroki said with a shrug. "Going vigilante would really irritate my dad off though."

"What, so you wouldn't do it?" Shinso demanded.

Todoroki chuckled. "No, that just makes it sound like an even better idea."

"You're not going vigilante," Mr. Aizawa said sternly. "Besides, I never said you all failed."

"But...but we cheated?" Izuku said, his tone making it a question.

Mr. Aizawa shook his head. "Turns out, they actually never put in the rules that you can't have radios. You definitely flagrantly violated the spirit of the exam, but the rules just say your teachers or mentors can't help you while you're taking the test."

"Wait, what about Big Sis then?" Ashido asked, pointing to Hari. "She's like, a mentor or something."

"The hell I am," Hari said, shaking her head. "I'm just the chauffeur."

"Non, you are much mairé than zat mademoiselle!" Aoyama protested. "You aré our beeg seestair, la un who looks oot fair and takes caré of us all!"

"Guys, shut up. If you can just stay quiet maybe Mr. Aizawa can get us out of this!" Jiro hissed.

Everyone fell silent immediately, save Mei, who had started humming to herself and bouncing on her toes. Izuku put an arm around her again and she quieted slightly, but didn't stop.

"Just so you know, it wasn't what I did that made them decide you were going to pass," Mr. Aizawa said. "It was the fact that I'm pretty sure half those government flunkies thought you were all out for their blood just for touching Hatsumei, that is, Mei, and didn't want to think about what you'd do if they tried to tell you none of you were going to pass after collecting the most points in exam history."

Izuku blushed, but didn't look away. "I was just...worried. Mei sounded scared, and then...and then I was...back there…"

"Just think about your actions more carefully. You're supposed to be heroes, not villains," Aizawa.

"I wasn't going to let someone hurt her again," Todoroki growled, his fist clenching as frost coated it. "I failed once. Never again."

"If they mess with one of us, they mess with all of us," Kirishima agreed.

Mei let out a soft sigh and seemed to relax slightly, pressing herself up against Izuku. He realized he had a death grip on her and let up slightly, which made Mei start to hum again. Reluctantly, Izuku squeezed a bit harder, and Mei relaxed again. He was worried he might hurt her, but figured Mei would actually say something if that was going to happen.

"So, we pass?" Sato asked, sounding unsure of himself. He'd eaten enough sugar over the past hour or so that his cognitive function had to be pretty impaired, as Izuku knew he got dumber the stronger he got, which was tied directly to his sugar intake.

"You all pass, questionable methods notwithstanding," Aizawa agreed. "You're to reenter the stadium once they've finished cleaning up after you. You left quite a mess behind, you know."

Izuku looked out and saw that there were several teams of workers picking over the various places that Class 1A had gotten into their brawls. He winced slightly. "I hope we didn't hurt anyone, or worse…"

"First kill should be a bad guy," Bakugo muttered.

Aizawa glared at Bakugo. "It is strictly against the Hero Code to seek to kill, Bakugo."

That just made the boy shrug. "I'm gonna blow someone away someday. Even All Might had a body count. Quirk like mine, risk of doing business. I might not be trying to ice someone, but if I gotta choose between a villain and a friend or a civvy? I'm not holding back."

The very thought made Izuku sick, until he looked down at Mei. He'd attacked One for All with the intent to kill him. Maybe he and Bakugo weren't all that different.

"It appears I have more left to teach you than I thought," Aizawa said with a heavy sigh. "But get ready. They're not going to just toss you out on your ears. Especially not since this entire farce was being broadcast live. You've got a lot of fans out there, all of you."

"There's another part to the test, isn't there?" Kirishima asked with a groan. "Crap. We're still going to fail, aren't we?"

"I can't tell you anything more. Take the next few minutes to rest. They've rounded up a handful of other testees who will be joining you," Aizawa informed them.

Izuku sank down into a chair along with the others, groaning slightly. Mei immediately got out a few tools from the various pouches on her pants and belt, and started tinkering with the suit, humming to herself once more. Izuku just closed his eyes and let her work as she refueled and refitted what she could in the limited time.

"I was worried," Mei said as she tinkered.

"Yeah. I was too," Izuku said. "About you, I mean. During the test...well, that felt natural."

Mei nodded. "You're good at it. You're a good hero. A great hero. But I was still worried about you. I didn't like it."

A ball of acid formed in Izuku's stomach, and his mouth felt dry as sand. "Um, Mei...being a hero...it is dangerous."

She nodded, frowning as she applied a patch to a damaged area on Izuku's arm.

"Mei, you know...you know I'll get hurt again," Izuku said quietly. "Hopefully...not like I did before. But...but it's going to happen."

"I know. I don't like it. I don't like seeing you hurt. I don't like seeing our babies get hurt." Mei's goggles started to fog up, and she lifted them up onto her forehead as tears started to trickle down her cheeks. "I didn't like seeing any of you get hurt. You all got hurt, every one of you. And my babies weren't good enough to keep you all safe."

"It's part of the job, Mei. Just like, well, you get hurt sometimes when we're working."

"That's only 'cause I do something dumb," Mei countered, sniffing as she wipped at her face with her forearm, then continued working.

"Mei...I don't think I could stop," Izuku said quietly. "I know I can be a hero now. I can't do this without you, but…"

"I'm not going to ask you to. I just...I don't know. Hari said that sometimes when you love someone it hurts. I didn't understand that. Because how could you ever hurt me? You always look out for me, help me, remind me to eat and sleep and wash myself, even when you're tired or hungry. And you love me. But seeing you get hurt, hurt me. I never felt like that before, except when you saved me from the Mask and the Hand Man."

Izuku nodded, unsure of what to say. He gently reached up, wiping away Mei's tears with his left hand. She paused, closing her eyes and leaning into him slightly, pressing her face into his hand.

"Do I hurt you?"

Izuku blinked. "What?"

Mei opened her eyes, which looked so wrong now. Mei's eyes shouldn't be normal brown ones. They should be yellow, with odd irises.

"Do I ever hurt you, Izuku?" Mei asked again.

Izuku hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. Sometimes you do or say things that I don't like, that hurt my feelings. But the thing that hurt the most was when I saw you fight Bakugo, or when the Villains kidnapped you. That hurt more than losing an arm ever could."

Mei nodded. "Do you still want to be my boyfriend?"

"More than anything," Izuku said quietly. He leaned forward and gently kissed Mei on the lips. She returned it, reaching around to grab the back of Izuku's head and press him more firmly against her.

After a moment they broke apart, and Mei nodded. "I guess that means you love me, and I love you. Because I still want to be your girlfriend, even when it hurts."

There was a sudden strangled sob, and Izuku jumped, turning his head to look behind them. Hari had out a blue pocket handkerchief, and was quietly crying into it, wiping at her eyes and nose.

"Hari, are you OK? Did those tester guys hurt you?" Mei demanded, suddenly standing. "Izuku can beat them up if they did!"

"What? Who hurt Hari!?" Uraraka snapped, suddenly jumping up. She looked around wildly, clearly still groggy from her short nap. "We'll teach them a lesson! Bakugo, get up!"

"Huh?" Bakugo said, jerking away from his own doze. "Wazzat?"

"Someone hurt Hari and I need you to hold them down while I teach them a lesson," Uraraka declared.

"Fine," Bakugo grumbled, standing and cracking his back. "But you'll owe me one."

"No one hurt me," Hari blubbered. "It's just...it's just...my baby sister! She's all grown up!"

"Huh?" Uraraka said, her eyes seeming to snap back into focus.

"Oh goddamn it," Bakugo muttered, slumping back into his seat. "The nerds are just making moon eyes at one another again."

Uraraka turned to glare at Bakugo. "Well I think it's sweet!"

"Oh shut up. You were ready to beat the stuffing out of someone a moment ago," Bakugo said, closing his eyes. He let out a yelp of surprise when Uraraka kicked him in the shin. She stalked away to sit by Iida, leaving Bakugo to rub his leg and mutter under his breath. He stopped, turning to glare at Shinso, who had developed a sudden coughing fit. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just got something in my throat," Shinso managed, still coughing. He held up a half eaten muffin. "Sato's handing out snacks. Want one?"

"Not one with your slobber on it," Bakugo snapped.

"Hey, you guys want a snack?" Sato asked Izuku, holding out a basket full of baked goods. "I'm trying to refuel, I baked these last night, but you can have some too, I made extra."

"Is that caramel?!" Mei demanded, and dived for a caramel bar. She moved it halfway to her mouth, then quickly did a headbob towards Sato. "Thank you! Oh, what would you like, Izuku?"

"Um, I'll take a bran muffin," Izuku said, carefully selecting what looked like one of the healthier treats.

"Um, those are actually carrot cupcakes with a light glaze. That OK?" Sato asked.

"Relax Midoriya, it's our 'cheat' day," Kirishima said around a mouthful of cookie.

The rest of the class groaned, then broke out in laughter. Satou even offered Bakugo a treat, which he accepted with a muttered thank you. Both Yaoyarozu and Satou divided what was left between them, quickly consuming far more baked goods than nearly the rest of the class combined. As both of them had quirks fueled by food, it only made sense they'd learned how to force feed themselves at need.

The PA system crackled to life. "OK, well, after that little interruption, the test is going to resume. Hurry up and get back to the center of the training field, this is taking too long anyway and I'm already short on sleep…"

"It seems our rest has come to an end," Iida said, standing. "Everyone ready?"

"Ready or not, here we go," Kirishima said, grabbing on to one of the tape ropes still attached to the railing. "Let's ace this baby!"

"I'll still be in contact with all of you over the radio," Mei informed them. "They dropped it when they saw you guys coming."

"Is that really a good idea after we already got in trouble for it?" Jiro asked.

Ashido laughed. "No, but do you really think anyone can stop Mei from helping us?"

Jiro considered that, then shrugged. "I mean, she might if Midoriya told her to, but I don't even think I'd want him to do that. We work better with someone coordinating things anyway."

Giving Mei one last quick hug, Izuku hopped down after the others, jogging with them towards the center of the training arena. He still felt tired and worn down, but he couldn't quit now. Not when they were so close to passing.

It took only a few minutes for the group to arrive at the center of the arena, especially since this time there was no one trying to attack them. Izuku spied about 40 or so other testees waiting around, far fewer than the prescribed 100 even with their numbers. None of the others seemed eager to confront Class 1A, and not even Ashido and the more outgoing members of their clique were all that eager to make nice with those they'd fought with only an hour or so ago.

"What? Oh, you're ready," the tired voice said over the PA. "Well, let's get this over with then."

All around the arena, sudden explosions rang out; Izuku snapped into a guard position, looking around as class 1A assumed defensive postures.

"Guys! They're blowing holes in the Arena walls and floors!" Mei cried over the radio. "There's a bunch of kids and old people coming out of them?"

"What?" Iida exclaimed. "Kids and old people? What are they doing here?"

The PA came back to life, and there was a loud yawn. "As you all know, being a hero is about saving people right? Well, now's your chance. We're going joined by members of the Help Us Company, or HUC now. Your job now is to save them. Get going, this test has taken long enough already."

"Dammit, I suck at saving people," Bakugo muttered.

"Don't screw this up for us Bakugo," Kirishima warned as they all started moving forward. "We're here to help these people."

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugo muttered as he jogged. He looked over at Shinso and Uraraka. "Look, I know I'm an asshole. Just...I'll follow your lead, alright? And kick me or something if I'm not being… nice."

"Just think of them like Kota!" Uraraka said brightly. "You were good with him."

"And also, don't say anything," Shinso said with a chuckle. "I mean it, you're better off just keeping your mouth shut."

Bakugo's only response was the rather loud grinding of his teeth.

"We'll need to split up again to cover more ground," Izuku said. "Tsu, can you lead the recovery effort in the swamp? That's basically your home territory."

"You got it, ribbit. Ashido, Aoyama, Tokoyomi, Shoji, come with me," Tsu said as she hopped towards the murky waters. A boat wreck had bubbled up out of the depths near the center of the mire, and there was debris and bodies floating there.

"I'll scout ahead and report from the city, the damage looks the worst there," Iida said, sprinting forward. "Uraraka, Bakugo, Shinso, and Hagakure, you can follow after me."

Bakugo looked like he wanted to spit nails at being told what to do, but he just looked to Uraraka, who smiled and nodded. "You got it Iida!"

"I'll scout out the canyon since I can use my mobility the best there," Izuku said. "Sero, Jiro, Ojiro, Kirishima, will you come with me?"

"Of course," Ojiro agreed. "On you, Midoriya."

"I guess the rest of you are with me," Todoroki said. "Let's head for the forest and see what we can do to help there."

Izuku took off into the air, grateful Mei had been able to restore his fuel levels so he didn't have to worry as much about draining his power.

"Izuku, I can see a lot of people scattered throughout the canyons," Mei reported. "They're trapped in crevasses or laying on the top like they're hurt or something. I don't think they actually are, they put on makeup and stuff. Hey, Jiro, do you think these HUC people are trying to attract boys?"

That brought a bark of laughter from Jiro. "No, I don't think so, Mei! It's to help them pretend to be injured. It simulates injuries."

"Oh. Well that's dumb," Mei complained. "We had all those hurt people from before, why not just use them!"

"Um, I think maybe they actually needed medical attention," Izuku pointed out. "We were, er, maybe a bit too hard on them."

"I don't think so, they were trying to crush you, and they should have known better," Mei proclaimed. "Alright Izuku, three people climbed down into that collapsed area you're approaching."

Izuku landed on the lip of a crater that had formed from a rock slide, and peered down to see three people. One was half buried in rubble with blood coating his face, and seemed to be unconscious. Another was cradling a leg that appeared to have a bone sticking out of it along with a lot of blood. The third was a small child that was standing and crying; he had a shallow head wound that had bled a lot, but looked minor.

"Izuku! Be careful! They're the same mean people from before! I bet they're going to try to trick you or something," Mei said over the radio as Izuku popped the visor on his helmet.

That made Izuku hesitate. He'd been about to ask the boy if he was alright, but he realized he was supposed to be acting like a first responder in this situation. "Oijiro, Jiro, I need you. I've got three cases. One is a child with what looks like a minor superficial wound. The other has a serious compound fracture and appears to be going into shock. The last is unconscious, and buried. I'll need you to scan the area to see if it's safe to remove him, Jiro."

"Got it," Jiro said. She hurried, stucking her earphones into the ground and carefully sending out sonic probes to check on the stability of the rock.

"This is Sero, Kirishima and I will continue on to look for more survivors to aid. You guys catch up when you can."

"Understood," Izuku agreed. He called down to the cry child. "Hey, don't worry, everything's going to be alright! Class 1A is here, and we won't leave anyone behind!"

"I think I can get down there without disturbing any more rocks," Oijiro said after inspecting the landslide. "I'll need to treat that leg immediately, it looks serious."

"I'm scared!" the boy called. "Please, you have to help me! My mom is trapped under the rocks!"

"I know, but it's alright," Izuku replied. "Just hold on, we have to make sure that it's safe to go down there before we try to move any of you. Oijro, get down there if you can. Jiro?"

"It's stable, for now," Jiro said, standing. "I'll get that woman out, but Midoriya, you need to fly that leg wound out right away."

Oijiro hopped down, darting from rock to rock, then carefully began to bandage the injured man's leg. Izuku descended more slowly, making sure not to step where he could trigger another landslide.

"Ok, he's ready," Oijiro said after splinting the leg with a piece of wood he'd found nearby. "Get him back to the center, Mei's coordinating the dropoff of the wounded there."

"What about me?" the boy with the head wound whined. "I'm hurt too!"

Izuku shook his head. "I'm sorry, this man is hurt much worse. Oijiro can help you back up, but you'll need to walk back on your own while we treat more serious cases. If you start to feel dizzy, sit down and wait for someone to come and help you. Mei Hatsume is watching everyone from her observation post, she'll see you."

Suddenly, the boy's entire demeanor changed, going from a half shocked victim to a shrewd measuring look. "Hmm, not bad, you guys are triaging pretty well. Guess that's what I should have expected from the Heroes of Kamino. Full points!"

"I knew it! They're trying to trick you!" Mei cried. "I heard that! Tell that little boy if he tries to take any points away from you I will be very mad at him!"

Izuku just chuckled, taking off into the air. He noticed that the fragment of "bone" sticking out of the woman's leg had been glued on, and that the blood was just ever so slightly the wrong color and viscosity for the real thing. The man stayed in character until Izuku landed at the first aide station, where some of the other testee's were rendering aid.

"Hey, I found this one, he's showing signs of shock and has a compound fracture," Izuku told one of them.

"Yeah, OK, put him over there," the girl helping the wounded said. "Damn, you kids from UA move fast. Iida's already been back here twice, and Shoji ran back three at once."

Izuku blinked at having his classmates referred to by name by this stranger, but he set the simulated casualty in the indicated spot and flew back to the canyon, where he met up with Kirishima and Sero. They'd found a woman who was supposed to have a serious gut wound. Izuku sprayed it with some antiseptic from his suit's medical system, then flew her back as well. He had just set her down when there was the sound of a distant explosion from the direction of the city.

"Finally!" Bakugo's voice sounded, his tone eager. "The real party's here! I can see some bad guys! A bunch of little minions, and- oh. Shit."

"What?" Mei demanded, her tone worried. "What is it Bakugo?"

"Todoroki, get your ass over here," Bakugo growled. "Now."

Izuku felt ice run down his spine. Bakugo never called Todoroki anything but derisive nicknames. If he was using their classmate's real name…

"What is it?" Todoroki demanded. "We're on our way, but we've got injured we're bringing."

"Drop them. Your dad's here," Bakugo ordered, his voice punctuated by a series of explosions. "And he looks pissed."


	39. Fail to Pass

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_39\. Fail to Pass_

_Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning; but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. _

_\- George Eliot_

"Endeavour is here?" Izuku demanded, lifting off into the air. "Confirm that, Bakukgo!"

Bakugo's reply was hysterical laughter and a series of loud explosions.

"It's Endeavour alright," Iida confirmed. "Bakugo, Uraraka, and Shinso are moving to engage him and his minions. I'm going to try to continue to rescue efforts."

"Bakugo! Uraraka! Shinso! Do not engage!" Izuku ordered. "You can't hope to take him on with just the three of you. Fall back and stall for time! Everyone! Converge on the city! Tell the other testee's to focus on rescue efforts, and if any of them think they can help in the fight to come do so. Taking out Endeavour just became our top priority!"

"Midoriya, the rest of you should just run," Todoroki panted. "If my father is here, it's because of me. This is my fight."

"The hell it is!" Bakugo snarled. "He's here for all of us! God dammit Uraraka, I am falling back! Jesus this guy is strong. I can't even get close to him!"

"He's not responding to me," Shinso informed them. "I got a couple of his minions to answer me but he hit them hard enough to shake my control nearly instantly and they're back on his side. We're falling back."

"He's the new Number 1," Izuku said as he jetted forward. "Mei, I need you to look up any weaknesses Endeavour might have."

"Well, his powers are all fire based, right?" Mei said. "So if you can find a way to extinguish his flames that might work. But you don't have any foam missiles left do you?"

"No, I used them all in the earlier battle," Izuku said through gritted teeth. "Other options?"

"We'll try a dirt barrage if we can get enough space," Uraraka panted, her voice strained. "But he's too relentless! Every time Bakugo and I try to launch something at him he just blows it away."

"God dammit, get your asses over here now!" Bakugo snapped. "Where the hell are you?!"

Izuku flew over the ruins of the city, past several trapped or wounded HUC members. There were perhaps half a dozen hero trainees from other schools still working frantically to get them out, but Izuku could see that Endeavour would be on them in moments.

"Uraraka, Bakugo, I'm going to try diving on Endeavour. My suit can take a great deal of heat and has excellent cooling systems, but I'll need a distraction to get in close enough to hit him," Izuku said.

"One distraction coming up!" Uraraka grunted. Ahead of Izuku, a giant section of a fallen building suddenly floated into the air. Izuku saw Bakugo leap up, using his explosions to propel it into the air so that it tumbled up and towards an advancing wave of men and women in red and black uniforms. They were carrying guns that launched what looked like small concrete balls; dangerous, but not instantly lethal.

At their center was a man wrapped in flames. Izuku couldn't make out details through the distortion of the air by the intense heat, but there was only one man in Japan that could be: Enji Todoroki, father of Shoto Todoroki, better known as Endeavour the Flame Hero and the current top ranked pro hero.

Like All Might, Endeavour had a reputation for not only being an effective crime fighter and a tremendously powerful brawler, but also for being smart and efficient. That was where the similarities ended. While All Might was known for his charisma, smile, and the ability to diffuse tense situations with a laugh or a kind word, Endeavour had a much darker history. He was known for his propensity to violence and willingness to use overwhelming firepower to stop criminals in their tracks, even to the point of lethal force.

While All Might had been forced to kill a few powerful villains over the years, Endeavour consistently ranked at the top of the list of yearly deaths at the hands of pro heroes. It was never egregious, all of Endeavours kills were incredibly deadly and violent criminals who had either been in the act of killing a civilian or bystander or had clearly been trying to kill Endeavour himself or his sidekicks. He'd been investigated time and again, and no one had ever found any wrongdoing. Some argued it was the nature of Endeavour's power set and missions: he could control and manipulate flame, which was inherently dangerous, and Endeavour always tackled the most powerful and threatening villains, at least the ones All Might had been too busy to take care of.

All of that ran through Izuku's mind as he flew into the shadow of the tumbling building. He heard Uraraka's cry of "Release!" and followed it down, aiming for where he'd last seen Endeavour. Just as the building was crashing down, a huge gout of flame rose up, enveloping the massive ruined structure. Glass and steel melted as wood and other combustible materials flashed to ash. The building split in two, falling around the swirling beacon of flame.

Sucking in a breath, Izuku tried to circle around to Endeavour's blind spot, using the dust and smoke to obscure himself. It proved to be in vain. Lances of searing hot flames shot out at him, and Izuku was forced to activate his laser and take a few pot shots at Endeavour as he flew away in retreat, dodging flames and volleys of concrete balls.

"I can't get close," Izuku said, coming down near Bakugo and the others. "He saw me coming."

"Izuku! Someone's hacked into our radio frequency!" Mei said in a panic. "I think it's Endeavour!"

"So, you're as smart as I've heard then," a deep baritone voice mused. Izuku felt his guts turn to liquid. Endeavour. That was the voice of Endeavour on their radios.

"Everyone! Switch to my room number's frequency!" Mei said frantically. "I'll call out new changes as needed!"

Izuku adjusted his radio as the others did as well, Bakugo snarling in irritation. "That son of a bitch."

"Careful, that's my father you're talking about," Todoroki said as he skated up on a road of ice. Behind him followed Kaminari, Koda, Yaoyorozu, and Sato on fabricated skates. "You be respectful when you call that ugly bastard a son of a bitch."

"How do we stop him, Todoroki?" Iida asked as he dashed up. "The other classes are evacuating the rest of the refugees in this area, but we have to buy them time."

"Honestly, I don't know," Todoroki admitted. "I've got my ice over him, that's purely from my mother's side of the family. But he's the absolute master of flame. He can do things I still only dream about, and he's far stronger. I've avoided using my flames for years to differentiate myself, but…"

"But now we're in a corner and we don't have any other options," Shinso said with a grimace. "They're getting close. What do we do?"

Izuku's mind raced, and he keyed his radio. "Mei, tell everyone that Hatsume says to use their radios to coordinate, and that I want everyone to converge on my position."

"What? But Izuku-"

"Hatsume says," Izuku repeated. "You know you love for everyone to call you that, especially now that our communications are secure.

There was a moment of silence, then Mei hesitantly said, "OK. I'll let everyone know."

Izuku took his radio off and looked to Iida. "We can't use these anymore, Endeavour will figure out what band we're on sooner rather than later. Go tell the others to try to flank Endeavour from the rear. We won't be able to wait for them, but if we can distract him long enough they'll have a chance."

"Right," Iida agreed, and raced off at top speed, his engines roaring.

"So, we just attack?" Shinso demanded.

Izuku looked to Todoroki. "You know your father. What's our best shot?"

"Hit him hard and fast, nothing else will slow him down," Todoroki said with a grimace. "I'll go in first, try to make an opening. I won't be able to overwhelm him with fire or ice, but maybe I can make a hole for the rest of you."

"Think you can throw another building, Uraraka?" Shinso asked.

She grimaced, but nodded. Izuku could see a bit of bile still on her lips. Apparently, that particular feat cost her. He hoped it would be enough.

"Right, he's almost on us. Let's get started," Izuku said as concrete balls began to clang against the rubble they were hiding behind.

While the fragment of building that Uraraka found wasn't quite as impressive as the one she'd used before, it still had to weigh o several tons. The building floated up into the air, propelled by Bakugo's blasts.

"Now!" Izuku cried, and flew up again to follow the building down once more. This time, the building didn't melt as it descended, and Izuku had to pull up. To the sides, he saw his friends forced to stall from the shockwave, Bakugo knocked tumbling through the air. When the dust settled, Izuku wondered for half a panicked moment if they'd killed Endeavour.

"It's a neat trick, but you can only try something like that once!" a lance of flame caught Izuku square in the chest, and sensors on his suit blared as he tumbled out of the sky. He caught a glimpse of a man wrapped in flames on the right side of the building, and then he crashed into the ground. His ears rang, and stars swam in his vision. Unconsciousness started to creep up on Izuku.

"Izuku? Izuku! Are you OK? Talk to me!" Mei's voice cried out, shaking Izuku out of his momentary daze

"I'm alright," Izuku slurred. He sat up, popping open his visor to spit blood on the ground. Yaoyarozu was at his side in a moment, helping Izuku back to his feet.

"Can you fight?" she asked, sounding worried.

Izuku looked up to see Endeavour and his minions engaged with the others. He grimmly nodded and closed his visor again. "We have to help!"

Dashing forward, Izuku tried to lift off, but his jetpack wouldn't respond. Warning lights flashed, and he growled and disengaged the module. He jumped with the hover boots, getting atop the shattered building and running along it. He activated his grapple, firing it right at Endeavour, who somehow managed to dodge at seemingly the last moment.

Izuku didn't care. He activated it again, shooting himself forward as he screamed. He lashed out with his fist and leg, clipping Endeavour in the torso and causing the big man to grunt in pain, spinning slightly.

"I got him!" Todoroki cried, unleashing a wave of ice. In moments, Endeavour was covered with ice, sealed beneath it, though Izuku was trapped as well.

"Good work," Izuku sighed. "Now we just have to-"

The world exploded in a hiss of steam, and Izuku cried out in pain as his suit became painfully hot. The others were caught in the explosion of steam as well, stumbling back and clutching at their faces, which had been scalded in the blast. Yaoyorozu had been the closest, and went down, while Bakugo sank to his knees clutching at his eyes while Uraraka fell on her side, retching. Sato was fighting the minions, and it wasn't going well: there were dozens, and he was one man.

"Not bad, son," Endeavour growled, his entire body covered in a wreath of flames. "But you're still just using your mother's half!"

"I've got more where that came from!" Todoroki roared, firing off another wall of ice. This time it flashed to steam even before it connected with his father, who sent out a massive gout of raw pyrokinetic energy. Izuku was knocked down by the force of it, even though it was meters away. The air rippled and distorted, and Izuku's suit suddenly shut down. He found himself trapped inside the system as it began to melt, and screamed in frustration and pain.

"Come on son, is this the best you have?!" Endeavour demanded.

"Your half is my weak half! I'll defeat you with just ice!"

Endeavour grimaced. "I thought I'd trained you better, I-"

He suddenly cut off, his flames vanishing.

"Jesus," Shinso panted, stepping out from behind Todoroki. He'd used his voice modulator to mimic the other boys' voice, and it had worked. "Your family has issues."

"You don't know the half of it," Todoroki grunted. "Do you have him?"

"Rock solid, he's mine," Shinso said with a nod. "Let's deal with the riff raff and get back to rescue work."

"Hey! Shoto! What the hell do you think you're doing to your old man!" a new voice shouted.

Izuku turned his head to see a woman, her hair made of green flames standing atop the ruined buildings.

"No! It's Burnin, she's my dad's top sidekick!" Todoroki gasped, firing off a shot of flame.

Burnin dodged, grinning. "I know what's going on! That little freak has the boss! Boys, new target, hit the boss with your shots!"

"No!" Bakugo snarled, and leapt between Endeavour and the minions with concrete guns. His explosions shattered a dozen projectiles, buying a moment of time.

"Move towards me! Get to cover!" Shinso ordered, and Endeavour lurched forward. Uraraka managed to get to her feet, putting herself between Endeavour and the concrete balls. She took one, then two hits, then fell with a groan under a barrage. Bakugo started to slow, his shots wild and erratic. Izuku saw that his face was blistered and bleeding, his eyes nearly swollen shut.

Izuku hit the emergency release on his armor, staggering up out of it. He tried to raise his right arm, but with a jolt realized it was now fused to the suit, and he'd pulled free of it. "No!"

A ball made it past, cracking Endeavour right in the head. He roared in pain and anger, but his flames flickered back to life. Todoroki tried to shoot a blast of ice at his father, but his momentary distraction allowed Burnin to hit him with a bolt of flames and Todoroki went down.

"I thought you'd be better than this," Endeavour said with a sigh, turning to Izuku. "I had such high hopes for my son and his friends. Give up, boy. I know you're quirkless."

Izuku's eyes shifted, looking behind Endeavour. "A real hero never gives up."

"Boss!"

Endeavour spun, just as Tokoyomi and Dark Shadow, launched from a harness of tape by Kirishima, fell towards him. With an upraised fist, Endeavour let out a flash of bright, searing light. Tokoyomi cried out in pain and Dark Shadow faded to near nothingness at the light. They crashed into the ground, tumbling to a stop. Izuku picked up a rock and threw it at Endeavour, but it just bounced off of his back.

"Lights out, kid!"

Izuku only managed to half turn around before Burnin's fist connected with his jaw. He spun once, but was out before he even hit the ground.

Sometime later, Izuku blinked his eyes. Colors swam, and his vision resolved into two blurry faces looking down at him.

"He's awake! Come on, let's get him on the stretcher," a voice said.

Izuku tried to speak, but all that came out was a gurgle. He was lifted up into the air, and faded in and out of consciousness. When he woke up again, he felt pressure on his hand, and looked up to see Mei sitting at his bedside, squeezing his hand.

"Izuku! Here, the doctors said you need to drink this," Mei said, pressing a cup to his lips.

Greedily, Izukuk slurped at the liquid, coughing and spluttering, but letting it run down his throat. After a moment, he managed to speak again. "What...what happened?"

Mei's face fell. "Izuku...we lost. I couldn't do anything...I just had to watch. Hari, she pulled me back when I tried to jump down to rescue you guys. Guess it was stupid, I couldn't have done anything, but I just needed to try."

"But...Iida and the others. Surely they managed to beat Endeavour," Izuku rasped.

Mei shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. "They tried really hard. They took out Burnin and a bunch of Endeavour minions, but everyone in Class 1A got captured or knocked out."

Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking down his face. They had lost. Not a single member of Class 1A would pass the Hero License test.

After a few minutes, Izuku was able to get up, and with Mei's help, limp out to the waiting room. A few of his classmates were already waiting there, looking dejected. All bore bandages, slings, ripped and bloodied clothing, and other signs of battle. After an hour or so, even the most seriously wounded of them were let out of the hospital; Yaoyorozu, who's face and body were swathed in bandages. No one spoke, and the only sound aside from the background noise of the hospital was Mei's worried humming.

Mr. Aizawa walked up, looking worn and exhausted. "Come on. They're going to announce the scores."

"Can't we just go home," Hagakure asked, her normally chipper timber replaced by a dreary monotone. "We all know what our scores are."

"You need to see them anyway," Aizawa stated.

They walked down into a half empty meeting room. Izuku recognized a few of the other testees, who whispered and gawked as Class 1A arrived. A few of the other hero hopefuls bore some bandages, but none looked like the walking casualty ward that Class 1A had turned into. Bakugo even had to be led by the hand by Shinso, as his eyes were covered by a blindfold, having swollen shut.

At the front of the room sat the tired looking government employee, who had dozed off in his chair. Beside him sat Burnin and Endeavour, the former with her arm in a sling and a bandage over her cheek. Endeavour however sat with his arms folded across his chest, relatively untouched, his face covered by a beard made of flame. He glanced at Class 1A as they slumped into their seats, but didn't say anything, instead elbowing the sleeping test monitor.

"What? Oh, they're here. Finally." With a groan, the man stood, stretching and yawning. He smacked his lips and sighed. "Well, a lot fewer of you passed then I'd have wanted. Almost makes this whole thing a waste if you ask me, considering how much money we have to spend on these things…"

Izuku hung his head in shame, hot tears burning on his cheeks. Mei wrapped him in a hug, and Izuku put his hand on her leg. At least he was still a hero to someone.

"Well anyway, I guess now you just want to know your scores," the man grumbled. "You all started with 100 points. Points were deducted by observers and by the HUC Members you rescued. If you fell below 50, you automatically failed, but we didn't pull you from the test. Here's your scores."

Izuku couldn't even look up to see his test scores, feeling utterly exhausted. He knew he had to have failed. After all, he'd been beaten and-

"Izuku! Izuku! You got 85 points!" Mei shouted, jumping up and tugging at Izuku's arm.

His head shot up, and his mouth dropped open. No way. There was no way he passed, it was impossible. But he found his name: Midoriya, Izuku: Final Score 85.

"But how?!" Izuku cried, unable to process what was going on.

"Holy crap! Bakugo, you got 57 points? No way! I actually beat you on a test!" Kaminari laughed. "I got 72 points! I never thought I'd do so good!"

"Shut up Fry Brain!" Bakugo snarled, his blind gaze whipping around. "At least we all passed! Right? We all passed! This isn't some sick joke?"

"I...I think we did," Shinso said, sounding as stunned as Izuku felt.

Todoroki suddenly stood, fury written all over his face. "I will not take your charity, father! I will be my own hero! There is no way in hell I deserve 83 points, not when I got knocked out by you so easily!"

Endeavour stood, walking over to his son. He loomed over Todoroki, who while not short, was nowhere near the nearly two meters of his father.

"There was no charity. Now shut up and behave. We'll talk about your rudeness later. If anything, I should apologize to you and your classmates. I melted the inhibitors I was to wear during the test, and went all out. But that's irrelevant. Now stop acting like a child and sit down!"

Reluctantly, Todoroki sat, and the test administrator cleared his throat. "Um, yes. Well, some of you were put out of commission when you attempted to defeat the villains. We deducted a few points for that of course, but not very many, only 10. No, if you lost points, it was for improper actions, like not responding to a wounded civilian properly, wasting time on unproductive tasks, or making a situation worse."

"Wait, how can losing to the villains only result in -10 points, ribbit?" Tsu demanded. "Shouldn't that be more?"

"Don't be naive," Endeavour growled. "Even I've come out the worse for wear in fights. Your job was to safely evacuate the civilians. You delayed me and my men long enough that the other heroes on the scene were either able to finish the job themselves, or hold out long enough for the test to end when reinforcements would have arrived and the villains would have withdrawn."

"Wait, so we weren't supposed to win?" Iida asked, sounding confused. "That doesn't seem very normal for a test."

"The hero test looks to see if you're suited to being a hero. Laying down your life to save others is the truest mark of a hero," the administrator pointed out. "Plus, as he said, Endeavour accidentally disabled the limiters that should have kept his power output at a reasonable level. You were essentially fighting the Number 2, sorry, 1, hero at full power."

"And you'd already been through a lot," Aizawa told them. "In a real scenario, sometimes there is no win. You have to decide if it is worth it to risk everything, even being willing to lose if it means saving lives. You kids made a tough call. Personally, I think you should have done things differently. We'll talk about it more in class, but you did do the right thing. You did it in a stupid way, but that's why you got docked 10 points."

"You would have been better served using hit and run tactics," Endeavour stated. "Having a few of your strongest members delay me. If you'd just kept throwing rubble and other things like that at me, I'd never have been able to get to any civilians."

"What? That's stupid!" Bakugo snapped. "The point of being a hero is to win!"

"You did win, by losing," the test administrator told them. "Look, I'm too tired to argue with you. We'll pass out your results that show your itemized deductions.

When Izuku got his report, he saw exactly where he'd lost points. Apparently he'd flow right over some civilians that had needed help, not seeing them, and that had lost him 5 points. That was it, aside from his points deducted for his loss to Endeavour. He could barely believe it.

"Congratulations," Mr. Aizawa said. "You're all provisionally licensed heroes now."

The class let out a half hearted cheer. "Um, can we just get back on the bus now?" Jiro asked. "I'm pretty beat up."

"Yeah, I don't want to celebrate, I just want a hot shower and a nap," Kirishima agreed.

Mr. Aizawa grinned. "Well. Looks like you're learning what it means to be a hero after all. Come on. Hatsume, that is, Hari, has gotten everything loaded. Let's get you home."

"Can we have a day off school tomorrow?" Kaminari asked as they trudged away.

"Sure. As long as you don't mind being expelled," Mr. Aizawa told him.

Kaminari groaned, but nodded. "Yeah, I suppose I should have expected that."

"Oh, and you'll have a full class load again, starting tomorrow," Mr. Aizawa added.

Mei let out a groan. "Not English!"

Izuku managed a tired smile. No matter how much things changed, some things just stayed the same.


	40. Catharsis

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_40\. Catharsis_

_I don't know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war._

_-Georges Clemenceau_

As luck would have it, there was no school the next day for Class 1A, as the moment everyone returned to school, Recovery Girl ordered them all on bedrest for at least the next day. For a brief moment it appeared Mei would be forced to endure all her classes alone, until Mr. Aizawa announced he would be on bedrest as well, as they had managed to give him a migraine. However, based on the fact that Mr. Maijima kept the workshop open well into the small hours of the morning, Izuku had a feeling it was much more related to the need for replacements for all of their destroyed gear.

The most pressing loss from Izuku and Mei's perspectives were of course the destruction of Izuku's prosthetic as well as the Power Suit, both of which were damaged to the point that Mei declared them write offs and set to work on building improvements from the ground up. However, everything from Kaminari's insulator band to Bakugo's sweat storage tanks had to be reworked and rebuilt. Hari spent nearly all of her own time in the workshop with Mei, while Izuku slept and recovered from his injuries.

Despite their recent triumph in getting their licenses and in the day off, the dorms were rather subdued and quiet. Everyone had suffered some degree of injury, from the ubiquitous burns to broken bones and simple exhaustion. Everyone had a collection of new scars, including several rather nasty ones for Yaoyorozu, who's costume had left a great deal of skin exposed. She'd suffered second and third degree burns from the steam, including a rather hideous looking scar that covered the left half of her lower jaw and torso as well as her left arm.

"She's very sad," Mei reported to Izuku the next day. "Jiro says she thinks she's ugly now."

"She was hurt really badly, will she recover?" Izuku asked worriedly.

Mei nodded. "Hari says she'll be ok but she won't be as pretty anymore." Mei frowned, looking down at her bowl of noodles. They were in Izuku's room, Mei having brought him a late lunch. "Do you think I'm still pretty?"

That caused Izuku to half choke on his noodles, but after Mei pounded on his back a bit he managed to nod. "I've always thought you're pretty, Mei. Even beautiful. Why do you ask?"

"Because of my eyes," Mei said quietly. "They don't look right anymore."

That shot a pang through Izuku's heart. He frowned, then motioned to his arm. "Do you think I'm ugly?"

"What? No!" Mei said immediately. "You look...well, I don't think you're cute like our babies, but I do like how you look."

"Even missing an arm?" Izuku asked.

"That's the best part about you," Mei said seriously. "It's how I know you love me."

Tears filled Izukuk's eyes, and he had to set his bowl down as he cried. He felt Mei at his side, hugging him, and expected her to say something, but instead she just held him, humming softly. All the horrific things that had happened to Izuku in the last few weeks, all the raging emotions for the trials of the test and before them poured out in those tears, as did his love for Mei. When he finally got himself back under control, he wiped at his eyes with a sodden napkin.

"I'll always see your eyes as a sign you believe in me even more than I do," Izuku told Mei. "I might have given up my arm to rescue you, but you gave up your eyes so the world could see me."

Mei was quiet for a moment, thinking. At last she asked, "Is that a metaphor? Because I'm pretty sure the Black Mask took my eyes because he's evil. But I did think what you said was nice anyway, even if it wasn't what really happened."

"Yes, it was," Izuku said, smiling at Mei. "See? I'm rubbing off on you after all."

Mei returned Izuku's smile. "That's good, because we both need lots of help now."

That evening, everyone sat together in the dinning room after Hari had called a dorm meeting. There were several boxes of pizza stacked on the table, made specially by Lunch Rush in the cafeteria. Izuku had tried pizza before and thought it was alright, but was willing to eat anything so long as it was going to be simple as he was still exhausted.

"Where's Yaoyorozu?" Hari asked, looking around at the assembled students.

"She, um, doesn't feel good," Uraraka said quietly.

"None of you feel good. If she's really not feeling good, we can take her to Recovery Girl," Hari said.

"No, it's just…ribbit…" Tsu looked down, biting her lip. She had a fresh scar of her own on her cheek, a narrow gash that would never quite fade.

"I'll get her," Todoroki said, suddenly standing.

"No!" Hagakura said, blocking his path. "She really doesn't want anyone to see her right now. Especially not...well...one of you. I mean boys."

"I know what she's going through," Todoroki said, refusing to back down. He pointed to his own prominent scar over the left half of his face. "You don't think I don't know what it's like to be disfigured?"

"I mean, no, but well, it's different," Hagakure protested.

"No it isn't. I've known for years no woman would ever want to give me a second glance," Todoroki said firmly. "I look like a monster, and I'm related to one too. In a way, we got our scars from the same place. Besides, it's my fault."

"What?!" Uraraka gasped, looking up. "No it isn't!"

"That steam came from my ice. I should have known what my father would do, the maniac," Todoroki said. "Now let me go talk to her. The food's getting cold."

"Um…?" Hagakure glanced at Uraraka who shrugged.

"I mean, we tried. Can't hurt to at least let him knock on her door."

Todoroki walked away, leaving the others to wait quietly.

"Ok, girls, just wondering, but, um, I'm not the only one who thinks he's kinda hot, right?" Ashido asked.

"I so don't need to hear this," Bakugo muttered, then moved his arm down to block Uraraka from elbowing him in the gut at the same time he moved his leg to block a shin kick.

"What? Todoroki?" Jiro asked. "Sure. If you're into brooding loner types. But yeah, he's hot. In more ways than one."

"Wait, where do I rank?" Kaminari asked curiously.

"Somewhere between a rock and my dog," Kirishima said.

"What? There is no way I am ugly as your dog!" Kaminari protested. He looked to the girls desperately. "That dog is hideous! It looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, then went back for seconds!"

"I don't know," Jiro mused. She looked to Kirishima. "Can your dog at least fetch?"

"Red? Are you kidding? He knows all kinds of tricks! Once he tracked me down at school because I left my lunch at home! Brought it in his mouth and waited outside my class until I could come and get it!" Kirishima bragged.

"It's official then, ribbit," Tsu said, nodding. "Your dog is definitely smarter than Kaminari."

"Even if he is better looking," Jiro teased.

"Hey! I scored higher than Bakugo on the test!" Kaminari protested. "No one thinks he's dumb!"

"That's because the test measured if you're an asshole or not, dumbass," Bakugo growled. "And everyone knows what I am."

Uraraka sighed heavily. "You really need to stop playing that up, Bakugo. You're not nearly as mean as you act you know."

"Hmph," Bakugo turned his head away, scowling. He still had a bandage over his eyes, which Izuku was fairly certain was hiding the fact that he was blushing, though it was hard to tell.

"I don't know, it works for him," Shinso said with a shrug. "You heard what they're calling him in the chatrooms and stuff online?"

"What, it's not that weird hero name he gave himself, is it?" Kirishima demanded.

"What is Bakugo's hero name?" Izuku asked, curious.

Bakugo muttered something, which made Uraraka giggle. "You should tell him! I think it's funny."

"Not funny," Bakugo snapped. He turned his head towards Izuku. "Lord Explosion Murder. They wouldn't let me keep it."

"Ha!" Mei laughed. "That is funny! Because you make explosions! I think it is good. I will call you Explosion instead of Jerk from now on."

"That's not what they're calling him at all," Shinso said, taking out his phone. He tapped on it a bit and held it up. "Look. The Demon of Battle."

"No way," Kaminari gasped. "That's so badass!"

"It sounds like the name of a delinquent," Iida groused. "I think it's a shameful epitaph."

"Wait, it says here that they're calling me the Belle of the Brawl," Uraraka said, pointing at the phone.

"Better that Uraravity," Bakugo muttered. "That's just a stupid pun."

"Zat eez a magnificent namé fair you, Uraraka!" Aoyama exclaimed. "Eet shows 'ow you are magnifique, yet powairful and dangairous!"

"You just like it because it sounds french," Tokoyami said, rolling his eyes.

Aoyama put a hand to his heart. "Eet eez mon languaje! How can ai not lové a ti-tell bestowed wiv such wondairful wairds!

"But you're not French, you're Japanese," Mei argued. "Yuga Aoyama isn't a french name at all!"

"Mademoizélle, ai am wounded by yur dreadful accusashé-ons! Ai was bairn een gai Paree! Mon mothair eez francais, eet eez true! But mon fathair, wéll, 'e eez japanése. Wé moved to Japan when ai was ten, eet eez why mon accent eez zo ootrajeous!" Aoyama protested.

"He's lying," Tokoyami stated. "I hear him talking on the phone with his family at night. He sounds perfectly normal then."

That made everyone burst out into gales of laughter. Izuku laughed until his side hurt, clutching at his stomach.

"Tréachairous bird! See if ai evairy sai anytheng nice abut you evair again!" Aoyama cried over the hysterics.

Things had just about settled down again when Hari suddenly shushed them. "Quiet!"

"What?" Mei demanded. "Black Bird does look like a bird, and Princess Sparkles isn't french!"

Hari unceremoniously kicked Mei, who yelped but quieted down.

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu stepped into the room. Yaoyorozu looking down, her hair hanging down over the left side of her face. They'd just about joined the group when Todoroki suddenly stopped, reaching out a hand to rest on Yaoyorozui's shoulder. She jumped, looking startled and near to tears.

"You should put your hair back up," he told her. "I always thought it looked nicer that way."

Izuku blinked, and suddenly realized that Todoroki had brushed back his own hair, which usually hung in a fringe over his eyes. Now his scars were easily visible, and he strode back to his seat by Iida and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest, looking around the room as if daring anyone to comment.

Slowly, Yaoyorozu reached up and silently pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She glanced nervously around the room. Kaminari gave her a lecherous grin and a thumbs up, until Jiro slapped the back of his head.

"I think she looks nice," Bakugo deadpanned.

"You jerk!" Uraraka snapped, smacking his arm. "You can't see right now!"

"Be better if I couldn't hear, finally get some peace and quiet," Bakugo grumbled.

Before Uraraka could further berate her battle partner, Yaoyoruzu started to giggle. Tears ran down her face, and she laughed for a good ten seconds. Then, she took a deep breath. "Um, I don't have a hair band. I left mine in my room."

"Here," Hari said, hurrying up. "I always carry a few extra. They're useful when you're fixing things too."

Hari quickly did Yaoyorozu's hair up in a simple style similar to her usual. Then she spun Yaoyorozu around and gave her a hug. "You look great, Momo. You always do, and you always will."

"Thanks, big sis," Yaoyorozu whispered. Then she hurriedly took her seat. "Um, sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Don't worry about it," Tsu said, patting her friend on the arm. "We're just glad you're OK."

"Yeah, well, I'm about to burst that bubble," Hari said, dragging her chair forward. She spun it around so that she was leaning forward on the back, and looked around at the class, grimacing. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

"They're not taking our licenses, are they?" Sato asked worriedly. "I knew we were gonna get in trouble about the radios…"

"No, it's worse than that," Hari sighed. "No one seems to care about the radios anyway, no ones talking about them. Instead, they're placing us all at an internship. Including me and Mei."

"That's great!" Izuku exclaimed. "Who did we all get? Oh, I hope I got someone like Sir Nighteye! I want to learn different ways to use my equipment, and with his quirk he can-"

"We're all going to the Endeavor Agency," Hari interrupted.

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped 10 degrees. Several students jumped up, away from Todoroki, whose skin was suddenly coated with frost on his right side, his face a snarl of rage. "WHAT?!"

"Calm down, Todoroki," Hari ordered. "I'd tell you to chill out, but you need to crank the ice down a couple notches."

Taking a deep breath, Todoroki made the ice that was forming around him retreat, and he schooled his expression back into a neutral one. "What the hell is my father thinking! He nearly killed us! He maimed half our class, and nearly made us fail the test!"

"And he's the number one hero, and you're bitching about an accident. Remember the last time you idiots pitched a fit about that? It was when I fought Hatsume, because I was the only one who thought she was a real contender, unlike you overprotective pansies. So take your emotions, put them in your purse, and shut the hell up, you primadona," Bakugo snapped. "Look, I get having a chip on your shoulder in regards to your parents. Shit, how the hell do you think I got so messed up? But we need to learn from the best. And I hate to break it to you Icy-hot but your dad is now the best in the business because we put the real hero out to pasture."

Todoroki stared at Bakugo, his mouth moving silently.

"Um, Todoroki?" Izuku said hesitantly. "I...I get where you're coming from. You...you might have heard that I used to hate All Might."

"Wait, that was true?" Hagakure gasped. "I thought that was just a stupid rumor someone started because you were quirkless!"

"If you hated All Might, you must loath my father," Todoroki said, his voice dripping with venom. "He's a monster. You saw what he did yesterday. He didn't have to go as hard as he did against us."

"There, Todoroki, you and I must disagree," Iida said, shaking his head. "We're supposed to be the new Pillars of Peace, remember? He has to make sure we're ready to hold that title."

"Your dad's an asshole, just like me," Bakugo said with a shrug. "But if you think either one of us is weak or doesn't have a reason for why we act the way we do, you're wrong."

"Both All Might and Endevour are dumb," Mei stated matter of factly. "They're just mean to people for no reason."

That brought silence on the room, with everyone gaping at Mei. "You...you think All Might is mean?" Hagakure managed.

"Um, I guess you guys might as well hear the full story," Izuku said with a sigh. "I...I was saved by All Might on the day I met Mei."

Briefly, Izuku outlined his meeting with All Might, and how shortly after he'd met Mei, and how she'd been the first person to ever believe in him.

"I guess I sort of fell in love with her then," Izuku admitted. "It just took me a while to realize it."

That made Hari start to cry, sniffing and dabbing at her eyes with a red bandana. Kirishima and Kaminari did their best to look stoic, though Izuku could see their lips trembling. Shinso looked away, and Izuku could see that his expression was troubled. He didn't know everything about Shinso's past, but knew that he'd been even more of a pariah than Izuku had been.

Todoroki, on the other hand, was having none of it. "That's nice and all, but what the hell does that have to do with my father? No offense, Midoriya, it's a cute story I guess."

"I thought All Might was cruel, but he was just trying to protect me," Izuku explained. He held up his stump, waving it around slightly. "He knew this was what would happen to me. Can you blame him for being so harsh? For telling me to give up?"

"Yes," Mei huffed. "It was still mean."

"Not really," Uraraka mused. "I mean, yeah, telling a kid to give up on his dream is a hard thing for them to hear, but I mean, he did it because he cared. I guess...I guess you're saying that Endeavor is the same way? That he cares about Todoroki, and about us?"

"He doesn't!" Todoroki snapped. "I'm his damn lab experiment! I was his little breeding project! He married my mother and kept having kids with her until he got the perfect blend of quirks he wanted, because he could never surpass All Might! He decided that if he couldn't be the Number One, he'd train someone who could! I only exist out of his jealousy and spite!"

"You're not just a lab experiment," Yaoyorozu said, speaking for the first time since she'd sat down. She looked up at Todoroki, her expression grave. "You're kind, and compassionate, and you care about all of us. Don't think of yourself that way. You matter, Todoroki. And not because you have a strong quirk."

Todoroki's jaw hung open, and no sound came out of his mouth for a moment. Then, swallowing, he managed to close his mouth. He looked away, blushing slightly. "Thanks. But, that's not how he sees me."

"Um, I don't think so," Izuku said, feeling nervous. "I know what it feels like, what it looks like, when your dad doesn't even care if you exist. And...and Endeavor definitely cares about you, Todoroki. Maybe you did start off as a lab experiment. But the way he looked at you after the test...he was proud of you. I wish...I wish my dad had looked at me, like that, ever."

Izuku looked down, feeling a lump in his throat. He hadn't even seen his father in years. "You all...you all know I'm quirkless. My dad...well, he left home not long after I was diagnosed. I don't...I don't think...well, I don't know, for sure anyway, that he left because I didn't have a quirk. But...but he and my mom had a big fight a couple days after the doctor told us. And...and I haven't seen him very often since. Only a few times. He lives in America, now. He's visited...a few times. But...but sometimes he'll be in Japan, and just be too busy to see me."

Despite himself, Izuku started to cry again. He felt Mei come over to hug him, but a moment later, another person, larger, pressed herself against him as well. With a start, Izuku realized Hari was hugging him too.

"Hey, you've got a family now, Izuku," she whispered. "My dad thinks you're pretty great. And he's proud of you. I know I am."

"Jesus Christ," Bakugo grumbled. "What, is this turning into a group therapy session?"

"Oh shut up," Uraraka muttered, then blew her nose loudly. "I feel better now at least. At least I know my parents love me...Oh my God! I'm so sorry, I just, I mean, they've always loved me and been kind to me! I'm not trying to be mean, honest!"

"We know," Hari said gently. "Seriously, I've had fights with my folks, but you kids make my mom and dad look like saints."

"Yeah well, my parents never beat me or any shit like that, so don't any of you dare pity me," Bakugo grumbled.

Uraraka threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "It's OK, Bakugo! You can cry too! I know your parents hurt you, I've seen how you mope after you talk to your mom! I bet she's actually really proud of you!"

Izuku half expected Bakugo to shake Uraraka off and harangue her, but to his shock, Bakugo's lip started trembling, and before anyone knew it, he'd whispered, "You think so?" Bakugo shook his head. "Wouldn't kill the damn harpy to say she thought I did good even once…"

"God dammit man, now I'm getting choked up too and it's all your fault," Kirishima muttered, wiping at his own eyes.

"Dude, you're gonna make me cry too," Kaminari said, tears now streaming down his face.

"Shut up, you started crying first!" Kirishima bawled.

"Oh my god, you two are such babies," Jiro sniffed. She blew her nose loudly. "God, I didn't think I'd start crying when we sat down, but with everything that's happened…"

"I just want you all to know, I love you guys," Sato said, looking down and fiddling with his thumbs. "I mean it. I don't got any brothers or sisters or cousins or anything, but you guys are like family to me now."

After much sniffling and a lot of used tissues, the class managed to pull themselves back together.

"So, we'll be at your dad's hero agency," Ashido said, smiling at Todoroki. "That's cool. I hope we do learn a lot."

"Yeah," Todoroki said with a sigh. "And...and maybe you're right. I've never liked my old man, even if he is a talented hero. I suppose I could learn something from him. I guess maybe I should be the mature one. God knows our family needs someone to do that."

"And on that note, there's pizza," Hari said. "And I'm going to the cafeteria and stealing a bunch of ice cream. After a cry like that, I need some goddamn ice cream. I got lactaid for anyone else who can't handle it. You deserve it."

"You have the keys to the cafeteria?" Sato asked, sounding eager. "Could you get us some ingredients? I could make french toast in the morning!"

"Um, no. I'm just going to get Mei to pick the lock," Hari admitted. "I'd just go out and buy some but I'm not allowed. They can yell at me and dock my pay later."

"Wait, Mei can pick locks?" Kaminari asked. "Since when?"

"Since my dad tried to lock up his tool chest when I was three," Mei explained. "It's not very hard. Locks are just cute babies that want to open up if you ask nicely."

And so, that was how Class 1A came to be found in the school cafeteria, having liberated several gallons of ice cream, by none other than Mr. Aizawa.

"I don't even want to know what, how, or why you're here," Aizawa said with a heavy sigh. "I just have one question: Hari, just what exactly did you think I meant when I asked you to keep the kids out of trouble?"

Hari swallowed the bite of rocky road she'd had, then licked her chocolate and marshmallow stained lips. "Um, to make sure that I accompany them on all chicanery, so that I know what to put on the police reports?"

"Um, hi, Mr. Aizawa," Hagakure said. She offered up a tub of ice cream. "How do you feel about Pistachio? It's my favorite."

A slow grin crept over Mr. Aizawa's face. "As it so happens, it's mine as well. I suppose you kids have earned some ice cream. But we're going to have to have a serious discussion about this rule breaking habit of yours."

In the end, Mr. Aizawa sat down and ate ice cream along with everyone else. Somehow, it just felt right to Izuku. Mr. Aizawa was becoming in many ways another father figure to Izuku, even if he was weird and harsh and lied about things sometimes. He seemed to have found a dozen brothers and a half a dozen sisters, along with a woman who loved him and he loved in return. Despite the pain, despite all that he'd lost, he'd gained ever so much more.

_Authors Note:_

_For those wondering, Aoyama sounds like a cross between Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau and the French Peas from Veggietales, except much worse. _

_Also, my beta kylekatarn77 has requested a fanart of baby Mei picking locks. I figured I'd pass this on because at the very least because baby Mei is very cute. _


	41. Rectitude

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_41\. Rectitude_

"_You are remembered for the rules you break."_

― _Douglas MacArthur_

"I'm going to go ahead and tell you that originally, this wasn't going to be a logical deception," Mr. Aizawa informed them at the start of class the next day. "But things have changed."

"I should have known you saying we weren't going to get in trouble last night was another deception," Kaminari groaned. "What are you going to do to us?"

"Probably make us do English," Mei muttered darkly.

"Actually, quite the opposite," Mr. Aizawa said with a shake of his head. "Normal classes are again canceled for the foreseeable future. I wouldn't celebrate just yet, because I haven't told you why."

"Is it because we had too much ice cream and pizza?" Ashido groaned. "I took one lactaid but I think it wasn't enough, my stomach feels like it's made out of liquid."

"No. You're going to have to have another press conference. Normally I'd be opposed to such a thing, but your performance during the license exam is going to force our hand. This one will be longer and far more grueling, it's scheduled for Friday to air during prime time television."

"Well today is Wednesday so that gives us a couple days," Iida said. "Why are you so worried?"

Aizawa sighed heavily. "Because I haven't been entirely honest with you. We've been withholding information from all of you."

"Gee, that's a shock, you, lying to us," Sato said, rolling his eyes. "Next you'll tell us that we could get hurt in this line of work."

Aizawa shook his head. "It's my attempts to keep you from getting hurt that have led to those deceptions. But I'm afraid now nothing but the truth will do. Iida, turn off the lights. You need to watch this."

After the lights went off, Aizawa turned on the projector and clicked a video on his computer.

"You all know who this is, right?" Aizawa asked as a silent video started to play. A man was standing on a stage giving an impassioned speech. He was tall, with long blond hair in a ponytail, and a domino mask on his face that Izuku couldn't quite tell was part of a quirk or a wardrobe choice.

"That's Destro, the leader of the old Meta Liberation Army," Yaoyorozu said, sitting up in her seat. "He's one of the villains that toppled the old Japanese Government. He was one of the warlords that the current government put down to restore order to Japan."

"That's what the history books say," Aizawa agreed. "But that's not what happened." He paused the video. "I'm bringing in an expert to fill you in, I wasn't around then."

"In all fairness, neither was I," the voice of All Might said. Izuku looked around, but didn't see the retired hero. Instead, Aizawa clicked another window on his computer, and the worn and wasted face of All Might appeared. "Hello, Class 1A. I must say, your performance on your License Exam was most unconventional. But you did good, kids. I'm sorry I can't be with you today, but…"

Izuku gasped, noticing the IV in All Might's arm, the oxygen tubes up his nose, and his hospital gown. "All Might, are you alright? Did you get hurt again?"

All Might grimaced and shook his head. "No, I didn't, that was Midoriya, right? Sorry, the sound on this isn't the best. But no, I've not been hurt again. I just won't ever recover fully from my injuries."

"Are you...dying?" Shinso asked, his voice cracking.

Grimacing, All Might nodded. "Yeah. It's not public knowledge, but with my old wounds and that last fight with All For One...I am dying. Slowly, but I am. The doctors give me no more than a year or two to live. I'll try to defy that, to stick with all of you as long as I can. But it's coming."

"Take a good look, class," Aizawa said, tone and expression grim. "That's what could easily happen to you. Nearly happened to a few of you during the test even, and that was supposed to be a controlled environment. I'm not going to sugar coat things for you: this is a dangerous job."

"We know that," Bakugo growled. "Obviously. Now what does All Might have to say about Destro?"

"Call me Mr. Yagi, I'm not All Might anymore," the old hero said with a pained smile.

"No, sir, I'm sorry," Kirishima said with a shake of his head. "We can't do that."

"You'll always be All Might to us, ribbit," Tsu agreed.

"How can you not be All Might?" Mei demanded. "Are you secretly his twin brother or something? You look just like you always did."

That got a laugh out of All Might, but that turned into a wet and bloody cough. A nurse wiped at his mouth, and he sighed. "Thanks, Hatsume."

"Mei! I'm Mei! Why is this so hard?" Mei complained, but fell silent when Izuku gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know. Well, let's see, Destro. The truth is, it wasn't the government who defeated him," All Might explained. "And before you ask, it wasn't me, either. That was before my time. No, it was All For One."

"Wait, why would a villain defeat another villain?" Hagakure asked.

"Turf war," Bakugo growled. "They both wanted to be the top dog. So one wasted the other."

"That's essentially correct. All For One took Destro's quirk and imprisoned him," All Might explained. "You see, All For One and Destro had diametrically opposed philosophies. Destro wanted everyone to use their quirks freely. It was a mad dream of a utopia that could never be, where everyone would use their quirks without regulation for the benefit of society. We tried that, and it led only to chaos. Some regulation is needed."

"That's quirk civics 101," Ashido agreed. "I mean, all mutant types like me know we have to be careful how much we use our quirks, or people can get hurt or scared. I don't always like that I can't use my acid to skate home, but I'd damage the sidewalk, and someone could get splashed or hurt. So I understand why I can't just use it as much as I want."

"Exactly," All Might agreed. "All For One founded the current government on that principle."

"What?!" the class cried in shock.

"You mean to tell us that bastard is the founder of our society?!" Iida cried in surprise. He blushed immediately. "Er, excuse my language."

All Might smiled. "I've called him a lot worse, and he deserves it. Understand, he founded our government in secret to control and exploit it. He's always worked within systems, manipulating people. He would identify powerful quirk users and seize their quirks. It made him powerful, but it also brought trust from a large portion of the populace since he was careful to only publically take the quirks of those who were dangerous or disruptive to society."

"How do we not know all this?" Uraraka asked. "Shouldn't this be in our history books?"

"It was in the Time of Change," Aizawa explained. "There aren't many accurate records. What you're being told is known only to a select few, and the only reason All Might knows is he's the heir to a long line of heroes who opposed All For One."

"You see, All for One wanted to make the entire world serve him, and only him," All Might continued. "He wanted a stable society not for the benefit of others, but because it made it easier for him to exert his control. He murdered and stole and did all sorts of horrific things, but because he controlled the government, he could get away with it. Even most of the early heroes turned a blind eye to him because he slaughtered anyone who dared voice criticisms of him. He was a brutal dictator."

"Wait, so what happened to him?" Izuku asked. "How did he lose control?"

All Might blushed, and Aizawa spoke. "All Might. All Might took down All For One as soon as he came back from America. Along with a select group of a few pros. Once All For One was out of the picture, a stable government was able to form."

"So that's why you spent your early years in America!" Izuku gasped. "You were training until you were strong enough to take on All For One!"

"Yes," All Might agreed. "And I did do that. My first fight with All For One happened 22 years ago. That was when things started to change. All For One had never ruled openly, he'd been a shadow dictator, and having me stand up to him publicly gave people heart. Over the next twenty years, we fought time and again, until our last battle five years ago. We thought he was dead for years, but there were always rumors."

"Rumors that proved to be entirely accurate," Aizawa agreed. "Most pro heroes know of the Legend of All For One, the Shadow Despot. Any hero from before All Might who knew of All For One either kept well out of his way or was killed for trying to stand up to him. To have his heir running lose is a serious threat."

"But not as serious as the Meta Liberation Army?" Izuku asked.

"Perhaps. But right now, what you need to know is that the Meta Liberation Army, the League of Villains, and the Yakuza are all fighting one another," Aizawa told them. "Endeavor is currently working on just keeping the surface level peace, all the pros are swamped right now. But with your help, he wants to focus on taking down the Meta Liberation Army."

"My two former sidekicks, Sir Nighteye and Lemillion, are both working on stopping the League of Villains," All Might told them. "Shigaraki is the heir apparent to All For One's throne. He has to be stopped before he can gain a major following."

"The problem is that if we cut off only one head of the snake, the others will grow stronger as they gain new members and territory," Aizawa explained. "So, you'll all be working with Endeavor to stop the MLA."

Kaminari scratched his head. "How can we stop both at once? Do we know where they are or something?"

"Not really. Currently information gathering is our major goal, along with suppressing street level crimes," Mr. Aizawa explained. "I won't insult your intelligence by asking if you want to back out again. You all know what the price of continuing on this path is. Now you'll know what the price of failure is as well."

All Might nodded. "The Meta Liberation Army would have a world of chaos, where human advancement was halted completely. While the League of Villains would destroy the current order and replace it with one where the strong exploit the weak. The Yakuza would have us descend into greed and hedonism to maximise their own profits and power. None of those options are acceptable."

"That means you are going to have to help prop up society, and rebuild it," Aizawa told them. "It's not enough to have just one Symbol of Peace anymore. Eventually, you should seek to add more heroes to your ranks. Not just a select group, but an organization full of heroes who are committed to peace and stability."

"Which is another reason I'm here. Well, figuratively speaking," All Might chuckled, which turned into another wet cough. He sighed, wiping blood from his lips. "Sorry. Anyway, we need to talk about your little habit of rule breaking."

"We only break rules that are stupid anyway," Mei explained. "Like not saving your friends or that you can't have ice cream after bedtime."

"Um, I'm not really sure about that last one," All Might said, looking a bit confused. "I was more referring to your willingness to bend and break the rules of the License Exam, especially using those radios and your rescuing of Mei. Don't worry, I'm not going to lecture you about how wrong it was. You were trying to do the right thing by rescuing Mei, that's commendable. And in the License Exam, well, you've all proven that your primary goal is keeping each other safe, and I know you couldn't stand the thought of having even a single member of your class fail. It was wrong, but again, I understand."

All Might took a deep breath, clearly winded already. "But please, hear me when I say this: As heroes, you have to be willing to follow the rules, even the ones you don't understand."

"You're supposed to hold up society, not cause chaos," Mr. Aizawa continued. "By breaking at least the spirit of the rules of the exam, by showing that you were willing to do anything to succeed, you showed that you're not quite ready to be full heroes yet. You should have found a way to succeed that didn't involve putting the structure of society as a whole in danger."

"People need to look to you and see more than just a heroic figure. They need to look at you and see an example they can follow," All Might said. "Additionally, you were rather violent and reckless in how you faced the exam. A lot of other potential heroes were hurt and disqualified because of your actions."

"I guess it wasn't very heroic of us to bend the rules, even if it did help us in the short term," Izuku admitted.

"And what if the rules need to be broken to save lives, or if the rules are evil?" Bakugo demanded. "I ain't gonna sit around and twiddle my thumbs because the law says I have to when somebody needs help. You can't tell me that neither of you ever broke any rules in your time as pros."

Aizawa shook his head. "I can't, because I did. It's one reason I went to bat for you during the License Exam: Having someone coordinate you and run surveillance during a mission is a _fantastic _idea, rules or no. More hero agencies should do the same thing. "

"And the test makers agreed, and didn't fail you," All Might added. "But please understand: There are consequences."

"Um, this might be a bad time to mention it, but there is some chatter online about how we're not real heroes because the test was rigged in our favor," Shinso put in. "Some people, especially those who failed the test themselves, are angry. For now it's not many, but it's something to think about."

"Well that's just because they're mad we're better than they are," Mei huffed.

"Perhaps, but the willingness to bend the rules and resort to violence is a serious problem," Mr. Aizawa told them. "Which is why we have a press conference on Friday, where you will all publicly apologize for betraying the trust of the people, and promise to not engage in such behavior again."

"When you make a mistake as a hero, own it," All Might told them. "I was always sure to let people know when I'd done something wrong and to apologize for it. It's one reason I had the public's trust so completely: they knew I would never try to hide something from them."

"We'll do our best to live up to that, sir," Izuku said, forcing himself to meet All Might's eyes. "And...and I want to apologize to you. For the way I acted towards you, how I resented your advice. It turns out...you were right."

All Might started, clearly taken aback. "Young Midoriya, I don't know what to say. I was wrong to discourage you, I thought I had made that clear."

"No, sir, you weren't." Izuku held up the stump of his arm. "You were right to tell me not to try. It was going to cost me, and if I hadn't been willing to push through that, I didn't deserve to be a hero. You were trying to protect me, and that's what a hero should do. Plus, I couldn't be a hero, not on my own. It was thanks to Mei that I was able to fulfill my dream. I don't regret that I lost the arm, or blame you; it was worth it. But I was too blind to realize just what you were trying to save me from."

"I think you could have been a hero anyway," Mei stated matter of factly. "Even if our babies are amazing, I don't think you'd ever sit by and not help someone Izuku."

"Well, I think it's safe to say you are all now starting to understand what the cost of your actions at Kamino are going to be," Aizawa said. "I honestly wish I could have protected you, but even if I could go back in time and prevent you from behaving so recklessly, I wouldn't do it. We're going to need you."

"That's all I have for now," All Might said with a wave. "Hopefully I can visit in person soon. Listen to Aizawa, and to Endeavor. He was hard on you, yes, perhaps more than he needed to be. But he did it to make sure that you all were willing to be the sorts of heroes the world needs right now. And to teach you an important lesson, one I learned all too late myself: Every hero loses sometimes."

Mr. Aizawa turned the projector off. "Right. Mr. Yamada will be here shortly for your next lesson."

"I thought you said no English!" Mei wailed.

Ashido sighed and patted Mei's arm. "Sorry, Mei. He does these logical deceptions sometimes."

"Not anymore," Mr. Aizawa said with a shake of his head. "You're no longer just my students: You're my colleagues; my fellow pro heroes. I'll have to treat you as such. Mr. Yamada is coming to teach you how to behave during a press conference."

"Oh," Mei said, looking extremely relieved. "Well, we already know that. They just have to raise their hands."

Aizawa let out a small cough, and appeared to have to smother a smile. "Your methods were most...unique, Mei. They will not always suffice in the future however."

The door opened and Present Mic strode in, smiling brightly. "Goooood morning class!"

"Good morning Mr. Yamada," they chorused.

"Alright alright alright. Well, hopefully Eraserhead here hasn't been boring you all to tears!" Mr. Yamada laughed. "But it's time to learn about how to give a proper press conference!"

Mr. Yamada set down a large case, and popped it open. "And we're going to start with one of the most important parts, make-up!"

"WHAT!?" Bakugo snarled. "You expect me to get dolled up like some-" he shot a sudden glance at Uraraka, who always wore at least a little tasteful makeup, and promptly shut his mouth.

"Yep!" Mr. Yamada said with a wide grin. "To look good on TV, you gotta give yourself a little something extra! Now, who already knows how to apply makeup?"

All of the girls, beside Mei, and Aoyama, raised their hands. The french student smiled and fluttered his eyelashes. "Evén a mastairpiece such as myself réquiyaires a lit-téll paint to breng oot la trué innair sparkle."

"It's true. And before you say anything, even All Might had a makeup artist for important interviews," Mr. Yamada explained. "I don't expect you to carry a kit on your toolbelt or something, but for big affairs it's always wise to do a few touch ups. Now, who will volunteer for me to do a demonstration on?"

"Me, sir," Iida said, raising his hand and standing. "I confess I know nothing about cosmetics, and am eager to learn."

To Izuku's surprise, no one sniggered at Iida's attitude. He had to confess, he wasn't exactly eager to put on makeup, but if it was part of being a pro, he was willing to learn.

They spent a full double period going over how to apply basic makeup for a big interview. Yaoyorozu was hesitant at first, especially about covering up her scar, but Mr. Yamada assured her a little touching up would be fine.

"People expect heroes to have heroic scars, but I'm afraid a lot of heroes are also held to a different standard of beauty, especially a young woman like you. We're not going to hide it completely, especially not since it's so big, but we'll soften the edges."

"What about me?" Todoroki demanded.

Mr. Yamada frowned, examining his eye closely. "Yes, I think you'll need an extra touch up as well. The cameras are harsh enough without a little extra help."

"What, are you going to make Izuku hide that he lost his damn arm?" Bakugo demanded.

"He should wear a prosthetic," Present Mic informed them. "Look, I get this isn't fair and all. But this is about looking good for the public, and putting people at ease. It's good for them to see a few battle scars, but they don't want to see the ugly reality and when you want to make your best impression you've got to put a little paint on your cracks."

"I guess I really am hideous now," Yaoyorozu said, hanging her head in shame.

"Sweetheart, that's not it at all," Mr. Yamada told her gently. "Look, hold on a second." Taking off his ever present amplifier that he wore around his collar, Mr. Yamada undid the top buttons on his jacket, exposing his neck. Circling around it was a dark scar that looked like nothing so much as the mark a rope left on someone who had escaped from a hanging.

Yaoyorozu gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"Got in a fight with someone who could manipulate their hair. They had me by the neck, and tried to hang me," Mr. Yamada told them quietly. "Mr. Aizawa saved my life by canceling their quirk, but I'll have this scar for the rest of my life. Price of doing business. In fact, this injury led me to retire into teaching, but that's a story for another time. We all have scars. But if it is going to be an issue for you, talk to Hatsume. She can probably whip you up a mask and get-up that hides your burn marks, maybe even while not interfering with your quirk.

"Yes! I can definitely do that!" Mei agreed eagerly. Izuku was having a hard time not staring at Mei at the moment, as Jiro had done an excellent job helping Mei with some makeup that really enhanced her natural good looks, though it was a little heavy due to being designed to be seen on television.

"OK, I'd appreciate that," Yaoyorozu said, letting out a sigh. She smiled weakly, wiping away a tear. "You must think me terribly vain."

"No, your costume was dumb before. Now it can give you better protection and have extra space for more snacks!" Mei declared. Then she frowned. "Wait, or did you mean that we didn't think you're pretty anymore? I am not very good at knowing if someone is pretty, but all the boys still look at you when you go by so I think they probably still think you are. Izuku, is she still pretty?"

That question made Izuku go beat red. He swallowed, and forced a smile. He knew Mei wasn't the jealous type, and that she honestly sought his opinion on something like this. "Honestly Yaoyorozu, if I wasn't already dating Mei and pretty biased, I'd say you were the most beautiful girl in this class, even now. The burn scars are bad, yeah, but you're still really attractive."

"I'd totally date you," Kaminari put in, leaning back in his seat to look at Yaoyorozu upside down. "Just saying. If you were interested. 'Course we can't go anywhere and Hari would probably watch us like a hawk, but you're still hot. Um, no offense, not trying to be dumb or anything."

Kirishima gave a thumbs up, unable to move as Ashido worked on his make up."Eh for once I agree with fried brain. You're still smokin', and that's a man's opinion!"

"Thank you all," Yaoyorozu said, now looking very flustered. "That...that means a lot. But you're all my friends, so I-"

"I wouldn't kick you out of bed in the morning," Bakugo opinined. "You're the closest thing this class has to sex icon."

Yaoyorozu paused, then burst out in giggles. "Well, maybe I can believe you, Bakugo. You almost sounded like Mineta there."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Bakugo roared, jumping up and ruining Uraraka's efforts at his own cosmetic transformation.

"God damn it, Bakugo! You sit your ass right back down and don't move, or so help me I'll float you into the stratosphere if you mess me up like that again!" she swore.

"Sheesh, OK. I think you're sexy too if that makes you feel better," Bakugo grumbled.

"Yes it does. Now open your mouth again and I'll make you eat this lipstick," Uraraka told him sweetly.

"Jeez Uraraka, when did you start swearing like a sailor?" Jiro teased.

Uraraka smiled at her. "My dad runs a construction company. If construction workers don't swear more than sailors, I don't know who does! Normally I try not to be so vulgar, but, well, sometimes you have to lower yourself to the level of those you wish to communicate with. Some people just don't have a wide enough vocabulary to understand anything else."

The sound of Bakugo grinding his teeth was audible, though he did manage not to move or speak again until Uraraka had finished her efforts.

As for Izuku, he needed as much help as Mei did. She watched the others putting on makeup, but when it was her turn to try she was utterly hopeless at the task. Mr. Yamada gave her a kit to practice with, but Izuku saw Mei stuff it in Jiro's backpack when the teacher wasn't looking. Izuku himself wasn't too bad at applying makeup, but Aoyama informed him that he was no "artees."

"Not bad people. Mei, you work on that costume for Yaoyorozu. And don't forget to wear your goggles to the interview, they're your own signature look," Present Mic said.

Izuku and Mei were sent down to the workshop to once more remake the Power Suit.

"We're going to just have to build extras since our babies keep getting wrecked," Mei sighed as they looked over the burned out remains of their creation. "We can make some improvements but I guess if we're fighting really dangerous bad guys some of our babies will get hurt."

"Sorry," Izuku said, wincing. "I'll try to take better care of them."

Mei smiled and leaned over to kiss Izuku on the cheek. "At least you didn't get hurt! The Power Suit is much easier to fix!"

"Yeah," Izuku agreed, wishing silently that they could fix Mei's quirk. Soon, he was absorbed in examining the damage and thinking of ways to make the next model more resilient. If he had, he might have remembered a certain device in Mei's old bedroom, which had long ago finished its work.

_Authors Note:_

_Wooooo, we're halfway there, woooo, living on a prayer! _

_This chapter really does mark the halfway point in the story by chapter count. Hard to believe it. Thanks for sticking with me this long, and here's to the next half being even better than the first. If you like what you've read, let me know what I'm doing right, or if you don't, tell me what hasn't worked for you. Things like that help me improve as a writer. _


	42. Window to the Soul

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_42\. Window to the Soul_

"_Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack." _

― _Brandon Sanderson_

The bright flash of the cameras made Izuku squint slightly, and he resisted the urge to rub at his face, the makeup feeling odd especially in the bright light. Unlike the last time, the reporters didn't ask any questions, instead silently snapping pictures or monitoring their equipment.

For this interview, Izuku wasn't dressed in his hero costume, but rather in a formal suit and tie. Mei, to her irritation, was once again in a skirt and blouse, though she had been allowed to wear her goggles. Hari was with them as well, in her "monkey suit" as she put it, which was a twin to Mei's own formal wear, save that she wore heels while Mei had on flat sandals. Apparently, as Hari put it, "No known force on earth can get my sister to walk a straight line in a pair of heels."

"Before we take any questions," Mr. Aizawa said, looking far from his usual self with his hair in a neat ponytail and freshly shaven, "Class 1A has something to say to all of you."

As one, the students stood, then bowed formally. "We sincerely apologize for our conduct," they said together. "We hope to live up to your expectations of us in the future."

"Unless they're dumb," Mei added.

"Mei!" Hari hissed.

"Even if they're dumb," Mei amended, then stuck her tongue out her sister which made Hari groan softly as they stood back up.

Aizawa waited as they were seated, and seemed to be waiting for something. Several reporters raised their hands, and Mei immediately popped up and pointed to one of them. "Yes, you."

To Izuku's surprise, Mr. Aizawa gave a smug, satisfied smirk as the reporter dutifully stepped forward to ask her question. Apparently, he approved of how Mei treated the press. Izuku got the impression that Mr. Aizawa considered press conferences to be an onerous chore, unlike Mr. Yamada who seemed to view them as a perk of the job.

"What led you to resort to such violent means against the other test takers?" the reporter asked. "Some people believe your methods to be overly extreme."

"They only told us we had to win, not how," Mei lectured. "Izuku was very smart and figured out the best way to make sure all our friends pass. The other people were not our friends, and it was not our job to make sure they passed. Maybe if they hadn't designed such a dumb test, that wouldn't have been a problem."

Mr. Aizawa let out a cough. "Mei, perhaps now isn't the time to blame the test. Why don't we just accept that you apologized, and move on."

"Fine, we said we are sorry and we won't do it again," Mei said with a nod. She turned back to the reporter. "Your question is answered. Go sit down."

The reporter bobbed her head, and hurried back to her seat. Mei pointed to another reporter.

"Well, I suppose this one's for you, Miss Hatsume, I-"

"Mei. My name is Mei! She is also Miss Hatsume," Mei said, pointing to her sister. "It is very confusing if you call me that! So call me Mei so I know who you are talking about, especially when Hari is here."

"Um, very well, that does seem a bit informal, but, ah, very well. Mei, what inspired you to join the hero course? Previously you seemed dead set on joining the Support Class, to make your, um, babies, as you call them."

"I am now only making super cute babies for my friends, who are all in Class 1A. Therefore, I am also in Class 1A. Having friends at school is very nice, you should try it! Except you don't go to school, because you are an adult. Ha! But I am not going to do any fighting: that is Izuku and everyone else's job. I am very bad at it. Did you see me fight Bakugo? He really beat me up! But that is OK, because now we are friends, and he only beats up bad guys now. Next!"

"What is your first objective now that you all have your hero licenses?"

"Izuku! What is our objective?" Mei demanded.

Izuku paled, looking around frantically. "Um, I-iida, m-maybe you should answer that question," Izuku stammered. He hadn't stuttered much in the past few months, but just the thought of standing in front of all those cameras and talking made him so nervous he had a hard time speaking.

"Our objective is simple," Iida stated as he stood, his voice firm and clear as he looked out at the cameras. "We shall work with our seniors among the pro heroes to continue to learn how to be better heroes, and aid them in any way we can. Mr. Aizawa, is this the time to announce our plans for next week?"

"I suppose now is as good a time as any," Aizawa said with a shrug.

Iida bowed, then looked to Todoroki. "Would you like to explain? I feel this is your news to share."

Slowly, Todoroki stood, his face blank and his tone neutral. "We shall be going to intern with my father at his agency in Jianosi. We look forward to learning from him."

That got the reporters to jump to their feet and start asking questions, until a moment later when Mei's piercing whistle cut through the air.

"Minus 10 points!" she barked. "I am very disappointed in all of you! You need to make better choices if you want to get to ask more questions or have another press conference! Now listen when others are talking!"

"Working with my father is an excellent opportunity to learn from the current Number 1 Hero," Todoroki said, his voice still toneless. "We saw during our exam that he is far above us in many ways."

That got reporters tapping away furiously on their tablets and smartphones as the one asking the question bowed and retired. Mei pointed to the next one, who stepped forward. "Is it true that you have Autism?"

"Duh," Mei answered. "That is a stupid question. Next?"

It was over and done with so fast, Izuku barely even realized the question had been asked and answered. He found himself glaring at the reporter, his fist clenched at his side. To Izuku's surprise, the reporter flushed and ducked to the back of the room. Taking a deep breath, Izuku tried to calm down.

"Bakugo, even if he was very rude, you shouldn't have smiled at him like that," Uraraka whispered behind him.

"Yeah, well, he was an asshole to Mei. If Midoriya doesn't kill him I will," Bakugo muttered.

Izuku glanced behind him, and Bakugo gave him a manic grin. "Anyone else asks a rude question and I'm the one who gets to answer!" Bakugo said loudly.

Mei turned to glare at Bakugo, being in the middle of fielding another question. However, she caught Izuku's look of frustration and concern, and frowned, turning back to the reporters. "Bakugo will answer anyone who is rude! I would not be rude, he can be very scary! Anyway next question!"

The questions ranged from insightful queries about how Class 1A had developed their strategy during the license test to tabloid style questions about who was dating whom. Mei answered most of them with her typical bluntness, and fielded ones she didn't know the answer for back to the rest of the class. Izuku managed to avoid having to step up to the microphone, dodging the few questions Mei gave him or stammering out a quick reply. The whole thing seemed to take hours and felt like pure torture to Izuku, but at last it came to an end.

As soon as they left the press room, Izuku let out a deep sigh and sagged in relief.

"Izuku! Are you OK? You look sick!" Mei said, hurrying over and putting her hand on his forehead.

"I just don't like being in front of so many people," Izuku admitted. "When they're all looking at me, I get nervous."

"You get nervous in front of a bunch of harmless reporters, but you jump into battle with dangerous villains without a second thought?" Shinso asked, looking amused.

"I don't know, it's different. I don't have to talk to the villains," Izuku said with a shrug. "I just start thinking about everything I need to say and I worry so much about messing up that I start to stutter and mumble. But when I'm out fighting I don't have time to think so I don't mess up when I'm talking so much."

"I have noticed you've done a lot less mumbling and stuttering lately," Shinso said with a shrug. "I just figured Hatsume was being a good influence."

"Yes! I am a very good influence," Mei agreed. "Izuku is very amazing and needs to be able to tell people about it!"

"I think that can be your job," Izuku said, smiling at Mei. "You always have so much confidence, you're never afraid to speak your mind. Even when those reporters try and sabotage you." Izuku thought back to the question about Mei being autistic, and found himself scowling before he could stop himself.

"Ha! Now you look like Bakugo! You should do the scary face more often, then people would be scared of you instead of you being scared of them!" Mei laughed.

Izuku blushed and looked down, unable to think of a good response. He suddenly brightened looking up. "Oh! Our Ultra Armor is ready for field testing now!"

"Ultra Armor?" Shinso asked, his brow wrinkling.

Mei nodded eagerly. "Yes, the small Power Suit will be the base model, we're still rebuilding it from the Entrance Exam. But we rebuilt the larger Power Suit, which is now the Ultra model, is finished and ready! And it has a flamethrower!"

"Well, it has a flamethrower module," Izuku clarified. "We won't use it for every mission."

"Hey, hear that Todoroki?" Shinso called. "Izuku's replacing you with his giant robot."

"He's welcome to it," Todoroki muttered. "Maybe then I won't have to work with my father."

"Yes, your dad is very mean!" Mei agreed. "He burned you and he burned Yaoyorozu!"

Todoroki hesitated, then shook his head. "No. My burns...they're not from my father. Not directly anyway."

"Oh, I am sorry, I thought because you didn't like him, he must have been mean to you too," Mei said, looking a bit concerned. "Was I being rude?"

"No. I tend to give people the impression my father burned me, and not bother to correct them," Todoroki told her quietly. "The truth is, it was my mother who dumped boiling water on my face. She had a mental break. I used to blame my father for it entirely, but now I know she was always in a delicate mental state. The truth is...I've always resented my father. My family's history is complicated."

"That's ok, we can be your family now," Mei said happily. "That's what friends are for!"

Todoroki missed half a step, nearly stumbling. When he looked at Mei again, Izuku saw his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Thank you, Mei. That means a lot. And please. Call me Shoto. My father is Todoroki as well. I wouldn't want to confuse you."

"Thank you! I may forget a few times, but I will try to remember to call you Shoto! Izuku, remind me to call him Shoto."

"I will," Izuku promised. "I guess I never imagined we'd grow so close with our classmates, not after what happened in Class 1H."

"I'm starting to think this whole class is a collection of misfits," Shinzo chuckled. "Next we'll hear that you have some deep, dark secret Kirishima."

"I was a loser nobody in middle school who everyone figured would end up as a dead end," Kirishima said without breaking stride. "It wasn't until I saw Ashido stand up to one hell of a scary villain when we were in Junior High that I realized that the difference between me and her wasn't how good our quirks were, but our attitudes. Made me decide to become a man, and a hero."

"Are you serious?" Shinso said, clearly taken aback. "You had the second highest score after Bakugo on the entrance exam! You mean to tell me people thought you couldn't become a hero?"

"It's true," Ashido put in. "But that was before he started dying his hair! He's a totally different person now."

"Ah come on, you gonna give away all my secrets? I was saving that for later!" Kirishima laughed.

Izuku took another look at the other boy, and upon close inspection he could sort of tell that Kirishima did dye his hair. A couple of hundred years ago, back in the Before Times, seeing someone with crimson hair, especially in Japan, would have definitely been a sign the color came out of a bottle. But now, people had hair and skin colors all across the rainbow, from green hair like Tsu and Izuku, to pink like Ashido and Mei. Quirks, even for those who had none, had drastically altered the human genome.

After a quick change, they all returned to class, where Mr. Aizawa had somehow managed to regain his disheveled appearance simply by letting his hair down and changing his clothes. Izuku wondered if it was deliberate, or if Mr. Aizawa just generally didn't care about how he looked or others perceived him.

"That went well," Aizawa told the class. "It's too soon to see exactly how the public will react, but Mr. Yamada tells me the early signs indicate that people are pleased with both your apology and how you responded to questions. You seem to be gaining quite the following, Mei. It's a good thing you're dating Midoriya, or things might start to get awkward for you."

"I think things are usually pretty awkward anyway but that's mostly because I don't have good social skills," Mei said with a shrug.

Aizawa sighed. "Speaking of awkward, I'm afraid it's time for literally my least favorite part of this job. I've brought in an expert to help, because this is honestly something I've always avoided."

"And you've never been terribly popular in the first place, love," Ms. Kayama, also known as Ms. Midnight said as she walked into the room. She smiled at the students. "That was an excellent job today. You made yourselves seem contrite, but also approachable. Yet you didn't make yourselves seem weak or vulnerable either. Top marks!"

"What, is this more lectures on how to do interviews?" Kaminari asked, looking bored.

"Not at all! It's about a vital part of being a hero! Oh Azara! Be a dear and bring it in, won't you!"

"Of course ma'am!" a familiar voice said.

Izuku shot bolt upright, his jaw dropping. "Mr. Azara?!"

"Heya kid!" Mr. Azara said, grinning and winking at Izuku as he walked into the room carrying several boxes under his arms. "Don't forget to tell everybody I knew you before you got so famous!"

"Of course sir!" Izuku said, blushing. "I mean, you helped me out a lot too, especially when I was feeling down. If there's anything I can do…"

"Glad you asked! I brought this whole case for you. Sign them, would you? Marker's on the top." Mr. Azara dumped a box onto Izuku's desk with a thump. "Don't worry, I got some for the rest of you too!"

Izuku carefully opened the box to find inside a dozen figurines, of himself no less, piloting the Power Armor as it had appeared at the UA Sports Festival. Fumbling with the box, Izuku managed to get one out one handed, and held in his palm his own miniature version. It was a chibi figurine, meant to be more cute than anything else, with wide eyes and a huge head, and a helmet that he could take on and off. He stared at the little figurine in shock.

"This is very wrong!" Mei said loudly, causing Izuku to jump and look up. Mei was holding up her own figurine, which also had her piloting the Power Armor. "I do not use our baby, that's Izuku's job!"

"Don't like that one?" Mr. Azara said with a frown. "Well, I thought it would be cool. Never mind, here, try this one." Mr. Azara handed Mei a different chibi, this one with her in overalls and trademark goggles, holding a wrench, which Mei seemed to find fascinating. "Oh, what do you think, Midoriya? I confess, I already put yours into production, people are going nuts to buy it, especially from the shop where you used to come all the time!"

"I...I'm an action figure?" Izuku asked, feeling as though he were somehow hovering about his own body, viewing it from afar just as he did the figurine, it was so surreal.

"Yep! Went into production a week after the Sports Festival!" Mr. Azara said with a huge grin. "I got a hold of Ms. Kayama the day after you won at the Sports Festival, as she's in charge of merchandising for your school. When I told her you frequented my comic store and my patrons were clamoring for your figure, she let me put a bunch into production! I even made models for Mei and your other future classmates, just for my own personal collection, mind you. But then Kamino happened, and well, I was able to be the first to bring in models for production!"

"This is so cool!" Hagaure laughed, holding up her model. It was made of see through plastic, and had little gloves and boots on. "I want one!"

"Those are yours to keep," Ms. Kayama told them. "Midoriya, you'll be getting a royalties check in the next few weeks. The standard contract you signed when you joined the school applies: we get half the profits for any models depicting you during your school years, and you get 25% up front, the other quarter in trust fund held until your graduation."

"Um, I don't remember signing any contract," Izuku said, looking confused.

"He actually didn't," Mr. Aizawa said, walking over and setting a piece of paper on Izuku's desk. "Best sign now. We'll send another copy to your mother. Shinso and Mei will need to do the same."

"Oh, right, because you weren't in the Hero Course to begin with," Ms. Kayama said with a shake of her head. "We'll have to start getting contracts like that from all our students in the other courses considering the precedent the three of you have set."

Mei peaked under chibi's goggles, then suddenly dropped it and started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Azara, asked, hurrying over, his face a picture of concern.

Izuku slid out of his desk to press himself up against Mei, picking up the figure as she gripped his shirt and wept. He looked down, and saw what he'd expected: yellow eyes, with crosshair pupils.

"The chibi still has her quirk," Izuku said quietly. He looked to Ms. Kayama, who went pale.

"Mr. Azara, please wait outside," she said, ushering him out the door. A moment later, Ms. Kayama returned, picking up the collectable and frowning. "How did he know? I can't recall there being any public footage of Mei without her goggles? Ah. He must have seen Mei without them."

"We went to his comic store a few times, and Mei had her goggles off once or twice," Izuku explained. "He would have known what her eyes looked like before. Why? Is there a problem?"

"Officially, the public doesn't know that All For One took Mei's quirk," Mr. Aizawa explained. "In fact, the knowledge that All For One was anything more than a reclusive mastermind behind the League of Villains is a state secret. His entire history is classified, as are his abilities."

"We'll just have to make sure the production run ones have her proper eye color and shape," Ms. Kayama said, looking shaken.

Mei nodded, her eyes still downcast. "Izuku...you like me this way, right?"

"Mei, I love you, just the way you are," Izuku told her, heedless of their classmates and teachers. "Your eyes look beautiful to me."

Mei seemed to relax slightly. "Ok. But he can't make the toy look like that. I don't like it."

"We'll make sure it's fixed in the production model," Ms. Kayama said, smiling. She took a deep breath. "Right. Well, today's lesson is on merchandising. And we're going over financial planning as well. Initial sales projections estimate you'll each earn at least 1,000,000 yen quarterly from figure sales alone."

Uraraka started hyperventilating, and Bakugo had to pull out a paper bag for her to breathe into. Mei, thankfully, seemed thrilled with the idea that she and Izuku were going to be making money off toy sales, eagerly asking how soon they could use it to open their own workshop.

"Don't worry about it. Your development costs will continue to be covered by UA," Mr. Aizawa informed her. "And as you know the patent rights will default to you upon graduation with only a 5% subsidiary."

"No! Our babies belong to me and Izuku!" Mei declared. "You can't take them!"

"We're not going to take them Mei, we just have to recoup the cost of materials. And the times Maijima informs me the two of you tried to burn down his lab."

"If I were actually trying to burn down the lab it would have worked," Mei muttered darkly.

After the lesson on merchandising rights, class was finally dismissed to field training and testing. Izuku was so eager to get out to the field and try out the Ultra Armor, he missed Mei sneaking her rejected chibi into her bag, or the guilty look she gave him.


	43. Shattered Pinnacle

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_43\. Shattered Pinnacle_

"_Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves."_

― _**Emily Brontë**_

Izuku walked down the steps of the bus, looking up at the giant building before him, his heart thumping in his chest. It looked like an ordinary skyscraper, just another large office building in Jianosi, a large ward of Tokyo that had dozens of similar buildings. Around him, his classmates lined up on the sidewalk, each taking a moment to look up in awe. Save one.

"Izuku! We should put on your arm," Mei told him, holding up the case that held his artificial limb. "Don't worry, I made extras this time so if this one gets hurt we can just put on another!"

"Do you really think I'm that careless?" Izuku asked, trying to give Mei a grin.

"You have lost two arms. I would prefer you not lose another one, but I am prepared," Mei told him. She helped Izuku strap the arm on, then put on the metal headband that would help read his nerve impulses. It also functioned as a control for the Power Suit, even allowing Izuku to control it to a degree remotely, though they hadn't practiced that much.

"Hey there kiddies!" Burnin said, her face split in a wide grin as she descended the steps. She wasn't dressed in the dark clothing of the faux villains of the exam, instead wearing a white jacket that went down to her mid thigh with large brass buttons on its overlapping lapels. Her "hair" was a green flame that burned atop her scalp, and she wore a domino mask along with a fire extinguisher strapped to her back to complete her hero uniform. "You kids ready, Shoto?"

"I think you'd best ask Mr. Aizawa or Hari that," Shoto Todoroki said with a shrug. "You're not supposed to treat me any different then the others, are you Burnin?"

Burnin grinned and nodded. "Ha! Good answer! Well, Eraser? Let's get this party started!"

"We're ready," Aizawa agreed.

Burnin nodded, leading them all up the steps. "I have to say, you kids all look different. What, you all change your hero costumes or something?"

"We did," Yaoyorozu said, nodding stiffly. Her former hero outfit had been replaced with one that offered far more protection instead of the midriff baring ensemble she'd worn before. Now she wore a dark red bodysuit with a folded midsection that would allow her to draw out her creations while still offering some protection. On her left breast was emblazoned 1A, which every member of their class now had. She also wore a half mask, hiding her burn scars. While Yaoyorozu was gaining in confidence, Izuku knew she was still highly sensitive about her physical appearance.

"We figured we should go with a theme, you know?" Uraraka said, smiling. Her own outfit was more practical as well. Gone were the heels, replaced with thick combat boots with steel toes. She wore heavy leather gauntlets that wouldn't interfere with her activating her quirk by touch, but would protect her knuckles and hands from the brawling she increasingly favored. Her getup was still pink and white, but it was padded and armored with kevlar and other sturdy materials. Her helmet was still vaguely shaped like an astronaut, but it was also reinforced and designed to take harder hits.

Each of the students' costumes had been redesigned by Mei and Power Loader to offer greater protection and practicality. All of them had suffered enough wounds to decide that look and flair were by far secondary concerns to practical protection. Even Izuku's outfit had been redesigned, though his was far thinner and looked more like a pilots flight suit with the right arm exposed, as Izuku needed to be able to easily fit into the Power Suit.

Even Mei had a "costume" though hers were overalls and a work shirt with the same 1A logo on it, along with her goggles over her eyes, welding gloves, and heavy work boots.

"Theme? Well, I guess you all look like you're kitted up for a fight," Burnin mused. "Not as flashy as it was before."

"Mine's basically the same!" Hagakure said. "Though I did get my gloves embroidered with our logo. Plus, Mei made me some invisible clothes."

"What, you kids planning on forming your own hero agency together when you graduate?" Burnin teased.

"Obviously, that way I can keep making super cute babies for all my friends forever!" Mei said enthusiastically.

Burnin gave Mei a skeptical look, but then led them inside the building. It was practically unheard of for top ranked pros to be in the same agency. The standard model was for new graduates to work as sidekicks for a few years, usually at an agency they'd interned at, and if they became successful enough in their own right, to branch off and create their own agency. Occasionally heroes would form duos or trios together, typically close friends or married couples. But any more than that was so uncommon that it essentially never happened: there was too much money to be had going solo if you were successful enough.

Running a Hero Agency was expensive, as Mr. Aizawa had drilled into their heads. The government funding covered only so much. There were medical bills, insurance payments for damage or liability, material fees, transportation, housing, and a dozen other costs. A lot of pros spent the entirety of their careers as sidekicks, never managing to make it big enough to go solo.

This was because as Ms. Kayama had informed them, the vast majority of the money heroes earned didn't come from government stipends. It came from licensing agreements and merchandising. It boggled Izuku's mind to realize just how much wealth Ms. Kayama had given up to pursue her passion of teaching the next generation: Ms. Midnight had been an attractive and successful heroine, and she'd had a massive following as a full time pro. She still did some side work and got residuals from her old merchandise, but the time she spent out of the public eye teaching was time another hero could take, and increase their own popularity. By Mei's count, in the past few years, Ms. Kayama had lost more than a billion yen in revenue.

Which was why Endeavor could afford a massive office complex that employed thirty sidekicks and hundreds of support staff. His agency took up the five largest floors on the building, with the rest rented out to a couple of Support Companies contracted to him as well as a few smaller Hero Agencies. As the former Number 2 and the new Number 1, Endeavor was massively popular, though perhaps not for the right reasons. The sort of people who followed Endeavor tended to be angry young men, social outcasts, or those who enjoyed violence.

So it was a small surprise when Endeavor himself, resplendent in his own newly remodeled costume greeted Class 1A at the entrance to his agency. His new costume shone with burnished armor, with vents for his flames on his arms and legs. Even when resting peacefully with his arms over his chest, Endeavor's face was masked in flame, his bright red hair augmented by flicking flames on his head and face. Though he smiled down at the students, his eyes were as cold as his son's ice.

"Welcome. I'm glad you all agreed to come. It's good to see a little roughness didn't manage to scare you all away. That's good. You'll face worse on the streets soon."

"Father," Shoto said, his tone cool.

Then, to Izuku's surprise, Endeavor stepped down. He bent slightly, wrapping his son in a tight embrace. "I'm proud of you, Shoto. I know I don't say that enough. I've been hard on you, but soon, you will understand why."

"Because you could never surpass All Might?" Shoto demanded, stiffly returning the hug.

Endeavor sighed and stepped back. "Yes. And, while I think we should discuss this more in private, I will say here and now in front of all your friends, I am sorry. I am sorry that I ever treated you as anything other than what you were, what you should have been: a precious gift, and my beloved son."

Both Burnin and Shoto's mouths dropped open, and they appeared thunderstruck by the statement. By their reactions, Izuku guessed that this more tender, vulnerable side of Endeavor wasn't just a shock to those who didn't know him: the man had a reputation as a ruthless, even violent hero who upheld the peace through sheer strength and fear.

"The fall of All Might made more than just the public reevaluate themselves," Endeavor said. "Come. We have much to discuss."

Endeavor led the group to a large conference room, with a black obsidian table and luxurious black leather office chairs. The walls were lit with an orange glow, and though the room was at a comfortable temperature, it gave the impression of being at the heart of a volcano. Endeavor sat at the head of the table, leaning on it. Once the door was closed, he sagged slightly, looking wearied. That was a shock to Izuku: Endeavor had always appeared as unflinching as though he were carved from boulders in interviews and public appearances.

"We are on the brink of collapse," Endeavor told the assembled group. "The only thing keeping us safe for the moment is that All Might's mantle did not truly fall to me, but rather to young Lemillion and you students. It's a hard, desperate truth, but you must know what it is we face."

"We heard about the Meta Liberation Army and the League of Villains," Shoto said, looking shaken. "But things can't be that bad. You're the new Number 1, surely you-"

"Society has been inching towards the void for five years. Ever since All Might's penultimate fight with All For One," Endeavor said grimly. "At the time, I did not know the fullness of the tale. He only told me once he retired. Damnable man. Perhaps if I had only known...but it is too late for that. Crime rates, despite my efforts and the efforts of the other heroes to step in to fill the increasing gap left by All Might's slow withdrawal from active service, were creeping up."

Reaching to a console by his chair, Endeavor pressed a button, and behind him a projector flickered to life, showing a graph on the black stone wall behind him. Izuku let out a small gasp. It showed the crime rate for the past 20 years as a bar graph, with a line graph showing All Might's activity superimposed over it. It was somewhat familiar, taught in grade school, at least until the past five years.

Crime had been at an all time high, society always on the verge of utter chaos, apparently held together only by the fear of the invisible hand of All For One on the most hardened criminals and gangs. But then, All Might had appeared. Crime had plummeted swiftly, to a point even lower than it had been in Japan in the Before Times. But then, five years ago, something had changed.

"All Might's withdrawal from public life was something I speculated about," Endeavor said, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head, his flames seeming to die back slightly. "I thought perhaps I was closing the gap, in my arrogance. What I did not realize was that the man was wounded, dying, and that his quirk was failing. His last fight revealed that weakness for what it was. I have...struggled...to come to terms with it. I shall never surpass All Might. And my efforts to do so in the past have only doomed my future attempts. I am not viewed with love: I am feared."

"'It is better to be feared than loved,'" Shoto quoted. "You loved that saying of Machiavelli's."

"Because I was too blinded by my ambition and hatred to know the full quote," Endeavor replied. "The full quote says, 'it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. A prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated.' That's the problem. People fear me, and hate me. None love me. Not even my own son."

Shoto looked sick, but looked away from his father rather than contradict him.

"Remember that, Kasuki Bakugo," Endeavor said, his eyes drilling into the blonde boy's. "If people only fear and hate you, they will not support and respect you. You will not have the power to bind people together, save only in their mutual dislike of you. For those who are hated and feared, we have only the power to break."

Bakugo met Endeavor's eyes, then slowly nodded. "I'll remember that. But I think my job is to be the one out of this group who people fear and hate. The others can have their love. I just need them to fear my strength."

"Well said," Endeavor agreed. "While All Might was here, he could be the target of the people's affection. They could love him, even as they feared his wrath should they break the law. Me? I was his dark side. The evil enforcer, All Might's very own Demon of Battle. But now that All Might is gone, who is it that the people can love?"

"What about the other heroes?" Izuku suggested. "Hawks, or Best Jeanist, or even Mirko?"

"Hawks is a lazy, spoiled child playing at being a hero," Endeavor said dismissively. "Best Jeanist will announce his retirement next year; he's missing a lung from the attack on Kamino. Mirko is strong, but not strong enough to become the Number One, and she's far too arrogant and brash to ever command the level of respect necessary to be both loved and feared. Worse, she spurns sidekicks and cooperation and is too independent to be a standard bearer. She might be a better choice than me, given time, but we do not have it."

"What about Lemillion, then?" Shinso demanded. "Togeta's strong. He's well liked, both at school and by the public. He's gained a reputation by defeating two of the greatest Villains of our time."

"Ah, now you come to the truth," Endeavor said with a grim smile. "Yes. Lemillion is the perfect replacement for All Might. His chosen heir, his last sidekick, and the boy wonder who defeated his greatest foe and helped save his life. But, pray tell, who can tell me what the problem with this plan is?"

"There's three," Yaoyorozu said. "Not just one."

Endeavor cocked an eyebrow, but nodded, gesturing for Yaoyorozu to continue.

"First, Togata is a student still. Until the end of the year, he's not a full time pro. He can't become the new Number One for over a year."

"An excellent point, and the one I was going to make," Endeavor agreed. "Continue."

"The second is like the first: He's young. He's inexperienced. All Might didn't start his career in Japan until he was 30 years old. He'd worked in America for a decade before he returned to Japan, where he had already gained a reputation as a stellar hero, even in the Land of Heroes. He had years of experience and a great degree of respect already."

"Agreed," Endeavor said, rubbing his chin. "Keep your eye on this one, Shoto. She'd made an excellent partner for you."

"Kindly keep your eugenics program out of my social life," Shoto snapped.

Endeavor shrugged. "I was just thinking she was cute, smart, and already close to you. It's surprisingly hard to find love or friends in this line of work, especially when you're already famous and powerful. But please, continue. Don't let a father's ramblings distract you."

"The third point is the most important, in my opinion," Yaoyorozu continued, despite the fact that the visible portion of her face was as scarlet as Endeavor's flames. "It's that All Might was defeated. Lemillion will be, too. I pray it isn't for a very, very long time. But what about in 20 years? Thirty? God willing, 40? It doesn't matter. At some point, he will fall. And we'll be right back to where we started: Society on the brink of collapse as its Symbol of Peace is killed or retires."

Endeavor was silent for a long time, his fingers drumming a staccato beat on the stone table. He glanced at Aizawa. "You were right. These young heroes are sharp."

"The best I've ever trained," Aizawa answered, his tone serious. "If it were any other group, I'd say the plan is doomed to failure. But with Class 1A, we have a chance. A small one, but a chance."

"Wait, so that Pillars of Peace thing isn't just some random buzzword the media picked up on?" Izuku asked, feeling suddenly nervous. "You want us to actually step up and become the foundation of society?"

"Yes. Initially, the words were spontaneous. But we've encouraged the narrative," Aizawa explained. "It took off faster than we'd anticipated, or even hoped. The original plan was to have you waiting in the wings while we hyped up two of Togeta's friends: Suneater and Nejire-Chan. But they latched on to all of you instead. We were going to start off slow, work your way up, and when you graduated, try to hand select some of you to join Togeta and the others at a special, new hero agency that would become the new Symbol of Peace. But things have moved faster than we'd planned."

"So far, myself and the other top pros have managed to keep a lid on things, barely," Endeavour explained. "But they won't rally to me. And while my sidekicks have demonstrated remarkable skill and loyalty, none of them have what is required to form the group we have in mind."

"Sorry, boss," Burnin mumbled, looking down.

"It's no judgement on you," Endeavor said with a sigh. "If anything, it's a condemnation of myself: I have chosen individuals that reflect me. And you've all followed my lead. We are the searing flames of justice, but we give no warmth or cheer, only destruction upon the deserving."

"Yeah!" Burnin agreed enthusiastically, then frowned. "Wait. I'm cheerful goddammit!"

"And you'll kick anyone's ass who disagrees?" Bakugo asked, his head resting on his hand, a bored expression on his face.

"Bet your ass I will," Burnin laughed, her flames suddenly brightening. Then they dimmed as realization struck her. "Oh. That's the problem, huh boss?"

"Essentially," Endeavor said with a heavy sigh. Then he sat up, his face grim. "Which is why, at least while we're in public, I am going to be harsh, cruel, and even at times petty in my treatment of you."

"But why!?" Shoto demanded. "I was starting to think you had changed!"

"So that all of the hatred, all of the fear, will land on me. And you will be the love and hope that the future needs," Endeavor said, his tone surprisingly gentle once more. "Shoto, I can't give you the mantle I once sought to. But I will do what I can to give you and your friends the future."

"So in other words, you burned Yaoyorozu out of love?!" Shoto demanded, his fist slamming onto the table. "That's not good enough!"

"I did not intend to maim any of you," Endeavor said with a shake of his head. "As much as it will hurt for you all to hear this, that was an unintended training accident. It is my fault, my responsibility. You should blame me for going too far, and I apologize for the pain I've caused you. But understand: that is the reality of being a hero." Slowly, Endeavor reached up, unbuttoning his shirt color.

"Father, what are you-" Shoto asked, but he fell silent as Endeavor stripped off his shirt, baring his chest. Underneath the red hair was a mass of scars. Some were short, shallow gashes. Others were surgical incisions, where doctors had operated. There were plenty of burn marks as well, places where Endeavors own flames had marred his body. Just looking at it made Izuku's own missing right arm tingle in phantom pain, and his stump ache terribly.

"You've seen this before. The others have not. Becoming the Number 2 did not come cheaply to me, body, mind, or soul," Endeavor told the class. "Take a good look at me, at your classmates. Aizawa?"

Slowly, Mr. Aizawa removed his goggles, then rolled up the sleeves on his left arm, where a series of criss crossing scars were visible. "This on my left arm is where metal plates were put on my wrist after a serious injury during a routine mission. I didn't even fight a villain, just took a bad fall and shattered my wrist," Mr. Aizawa told them. "The marks on my face and eyes you know about. I used to be able to use my quirk for two full minutes. These days, I can barely manage thirty seconds. It's part of why I had to retire into teaching."

"Yeah, me too," Burnin said. Her hair flames suddenly deactivated, and she lowered her head, showing a long scar on the top of her head. "Had to have brain surgery when I was an intern. Cracked my skull when a villain hit me. I graduated a year late. I...I haven't been the same since. I feel dumber, angrier."

"We're not telling you this to scare you off," Endeavor informed the students as he rebuttoned his shirt. He gestured to Izuku. "You've seen firsthand the dangers of the job. We're telling you this because you have to understand: I'm not hard on you because I hate you, or because I seek to prevent you from becoming heroes. I'm hard on you so that when I am no longer there, you will be prepared for the brutal reality you face."

"I understand. And...and I forgive you," Yaoyorouz said quietly. She reached up, taking her mask off. She looked slightly embarrassed for a moment, but then her expression firmed into one of resolve. "I've always been vain. I've tried not to be, but it was hard, knowing that others looked at me and saw my beauty. I suppose this is just one of the sacrifices I'll have to make."

"You're still beautiful," Shoto told her quietly. "Maybe even more so. Because now the world knows that there is steel beneath the silk."

Despite the kind words, Izuku knew that Yaoyorozu's looks had been spoiled. The scar was a dark, ugly mass of tissue that spread from her jaw down her neckline, and it was hard not to look away when you saw the disfiguration. Yaoyoruzu was still attractive, but it was undeniable that her looks had been lessened.

Yaoyorozu flushed again, though it was a different look than before. She carefully replaced her mask. "So. Tell us, how are we going to help stop the new Meta Liberation Army?"

Endeavor gave her a grim smile. "It's not you who's going to stop it, young lady." He pointed directly at Izuku and Mei. "It's those two. The rest of us are just going to be their backup."

"Me? Mei?" Izuku gasped, going slightly pale. "You're not...you're not going to send Mei into the field, are you?"

"Izuku is better at fighting," Mei said with a nod. "I am not very good at it, but I will help if I can."

"Midoriya and your other classmates will be doing the physical fighting, Mei Hatsume. But you and Midoriya will be fighting the philosophy of the Meta Liberation army by your very existence."

Mei suddenly flushed, standing as her fingernails scraped against the stone table. "Do they think we're disabled?! I'll smack them! I'll make them see how cute our babies are, that we're not disabled!"

Izuku coughed slightly. "Um, Mei, I don't think he's talking about you being autistic, or, well, me missing an arm. It's because we're quirkless."

Mei frowned at Izuku. "What? Why do they care about that?"

"Because the Meta Liberation Army was founded on the idea that people should be able to use their quirks freely, without regulation, because quirks are the next step in human evolution," Izuku explained. "At least, I think so."

"They want to cull you," Shinso said bluntly. "To either sterilize, or kill every quirkless individual. It was a passion of Destro's. To create a new, more perfect human race, to enable our evolution and the evolution of quirks by killing all those without quirks."

Mei's hand went to her eyes reflexively. "But I lost my quirk, and Izuku…" She trailed off, and slowly her face formed into a hideous, animalistic snarl. "I'll kill them! They can't hurt Izuku! Not just because he doesn't have a quirk! He's the smartest, kindest, most wonderful person in the entire world and I will blow all of them up if they try to hurt him!"

"They would come after Mei?" Izuku demanded. "Just because she lost her quirk?"

"They already are," Shinso informed him. He pulled out his phone, looking to Endeavor. "May I?"

"Be my guest. I didn't realize your group had its own intelligence department," Endeavor said, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, well, someone has to pay attention to what people are saying about us." Shinso connected his phone wirelessly to the projector, then tapped away, bringing up an online newspaper publication, titled THE LIBERATOR. Shinso scrolled down, selecting a single article and blowing it up on the screen.

_**THE QUIRKLESS MENACE**_

_By Trumpet_

_Each day, our society tumbles more closely towards annihilation! The people long for freedom, but the reactive unevolved continue their repressive regime, by enslaving those who should be our brothers and sisters among the family of the meta! At last, the attack dog of the state, All Might, has been toppled, by no less than the reactionary forces among those who would hold back human evolution by taking the birthright of so many for himself, All For One! The two champions of the false ideals destroyed one another, but a new menace has arisen. _

_Before, we warned you of the terrible menace the unevolved have unleashed at their pet institution, that temple of enslavement and reactionary forces, UA. Their champion is none other than the Quirkless Menace, Izuku Midoriya. He has shown the world the plans of the Unevolved, to elevate themselves above those who should be the true masters of the world, we, the Homometa, the Evolved! It was with the sinister machinations of his lover, Mei Hatsume. It has even been discovered that Mei Hatsume is also a quirkless evolutionary throwback. UA is a breeding ground for the degredation of the species, where the unevolved have mixed with their betters, creating little better than a weak, worthless species and so called heroes that are little better than chained animals. _

_These two freaks who are the new champions of the government and its enslaved stooges, are the greatest menace to the public order! One of our loyal soldiers attempted to destroy the hideous, wicked sister of Mei Hatsume, one Hari Hatsume who despite having a meta ability of her own is a weak, degenerate member of the reactionary establishment. They were sadly martyred in the cause, but fear not! More loyal soldiers of the revolution shall rise up, and slay these two unevolved throwbacks, and end the plot to create an army of quirkless soldiers who will brutally oppress the chosen gifted, we, homometa! _

_Rise up, children of the future! Rise up and take what the gods have given you! Rise up and destroy the degenerate plutocracy who exploit the blessings of the evolved!_

_And if you see Izuku Midoriya or Mei Hatsume, strike them down, with the righteous wrath of divine justice!_

"So," Bakugo drawled. "Which of those sons of bitches do I get to kill first? Because Midoriya, Mei, if one of you two get our first kill, I'm never going to forgive you."

"You know Bakugo, I might just beat you to it," Uraraka said, her voice shaking. She had gone pale, her hands trembling slightly as they pressed down on the table, one finger raised to keep her quirk from activation. "How dare they. They're monsters!"

"You kids are supposed to be the bright hope for the future, you know," Hari said, speaking up for the first time. She sounded slightly shaken. "Jesus, I wasn't even going to tell you kids the Meta Liberation Army were the ones after me."

"Wait, what about my mom, or Mei's parents?" Izuku asked, suddenly very concerned. "If they hate us this much-"

"Your mother and the Hatsume's are being taken care of by a round the clock police security detail," Mr. Aizawa said. "All your parents have additional security if needed. So far, no further attempts have been made."

"So, I suppose this is what we're fighting for then," Shoto said, looking at his father. He slowly shook his head. "I think I understand your harsh methods a little better now. This...this is evil."

"I have always been driven to eradicate evil from this world," Endeavor said. He sighed heavily. "Sadly, I have allowed that which I hated to invade my own life. It's a mistake I would urge all of you not to repeat. Don't seek blood here: destroy the ideology, not the people who are drawn into it."

"And how the hell are we supposed to do that if we don't bust a few heads?" Bakugo demanded. "We learned about shit like this in school. What about someone like Destro? You gonna tell me it was wrong to waste his ass?"

"I'm afraid I agree with Bakugo," Shinso said, shaking his head. "Some people can be reasoned with. Those who thought I had a villainous quirk, for instance. But this? These are brainwashed zealots. We should put them down like the mad dogs they are."

"Don't let hatred blind you, or poison you," Izuku said quietly. He looked down at his hands. One of flesh, the other of metal. "I let my hatred of All Might blind me to the truth for a time. And I didn't even hate him for good reasons. He was trying to help me. Yes, I agree, we have to fight these people. But we can't see them as inhuman monsters. That's what they're trying to do to me, to do to Mei. We have to take a better path."

"Take away all their quirks, just like the Mask did to me," Mei muttered. "Show them who's degenerate."

"We are neither the executioners, nor the judge, nor the jury," Endeavor told them. "This is war. There will be killing. But you are heroes, not soldiers. Do what you can to save lives, not take them. Don't walk the path I did." Endeavor looked at Bakugo as he spoke, but the blond boy just shrugged.

"I always thought the do as I say, not as I do routine was bullshit. Don't worry. I'll keep your precious baby boy and the rest of these 'bright' heroes hand's clean. But someone's gotta clean up the shit and do the dirty work, and that's me."

"You won't be alone," Uraraka promised.

"No!" Bakugo snapped. "Don't follow me! People actually like you! You've got a damn chance!"

Uraraka gave Bakugo a glare, but didn't argue, instead turning to Endeavor.

"So, we're supposed to stop this Meta Liberation Army? How?"

Endeavor smiled. "Well. For that, I happen to have some insight. We burn them out. How many of you have heard of the drug, Trigger?"


	44. Daily Heroism

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_44\. Daily Heroism_

_"You are calm and intelligent, but youth can invite disaster. Do not fight alone."_

_**-Dr. Kuseno, One Punch Man**_

"Any movement?" Izuku asked quietly, trying to relieve his aching muscles without moving the Ultra Armor. He was hidden in the back of a delivery truck, and had been for several hours in a seedier part of the city. The Ultra Armor was now over three meters tall, broad and bulky and painted for combat in digital urban camo patterns. It was fitted with a number of modules, from a souped up jetpack and hoverboots, enhanced communications, and a number of weapons and missiles types.

"Look, dumbass, they're still just standing there, and there still just talking," Bakogo's hoarse whisper answered over the radio. "That's all they've done for three hours. That's all they've ever done! So in five minutes, when you ask what they're doing, I'll tell you they're still just standing there, and they're still just talking! When they do something interesting, I'll damn well tell you."

"Calm down, Bakugo," Shinso's calm voice replied. "He can't even move in that gear of his. It's got to be driving him crazy."

"Well his stupid questions are driving me crazy!" Bakugo hissed.

"Can it, you two," Burnin growled at them. "Mei says they got movement at their location."

"Izuku! The big boss is headed your way!" Mei said quickly. "My drone is tailing them!"

"Well are Shoto and his team ready to move in?" Shinso asked. "We're good here."

"We're ready, but we don't want to spook them," Shoto answered. "We'll move in at the same time as you guys do."

"Friggin' finally," Bakugo grumbled. "This had damn well better be worth it."

"Shhh," Uraraka's voice whispered, and Bakugo subsided.

A screen popped up in Izuku's vision, and he saw Mei, back at headquarters, looking concerned. "Izuku, be safe, OK?"

"I will," Izuku promised, smiling. "But it's going to be dangerous, you know that right? Besides, I'll get a chance to show off our babies again."

Mei shook her head. "I don't care about that anymore. I just want you to be safe, and to stop those bad guys. They can't hurt Hari again, or our families."

"There's a lot more than that on the line," Izuku told her quietly. "The drugs that they're moving are dangerous. There've already been several incidents; at least three deaths from overdoses and some even lost their quirk. Plus, criminals have been using them to enhance their abilities. Deadarms and Backdraft are still in the hospital. If this continues, more pros and civilians could end up seriously injured."

"I hate these people," Mei said sourly. "I thought Bakugo and the kids at school were jerks. But these people are bad!"

"That's why we need heroes like me and you," Izuku told Mei. "So that others can be safe, and there is peace and justice in the world."

"Hmm. Well, they're pulling up now," Mei told Izuku. "Get ready. Teams on standby, wait for my mark."

Izuku switched his feed over to the drone footage. A large black van with dark windows pulled up in front of the old laundromat. The two Meta Liberation Army guards looked up from what they'd been doing, which was still just talking. They hurried over as a man emerged with his face obscured by a thick dark blue parka, despite the fact that it was only the beginning of October.

"That's Geten, known as the Iceman," Mei informed the team. "He's the one we've traced the delivery of drugs back to."

The two guards bowed to Geten, then checked his offered ID. They nodded, then opened the door for him. One guard went inside with the MLA lieutenant, while the other took up a position next to the van, chatting quietly with the driver while keeping an eye out on the street.

"Now?" Bakugo hissed.

"Hold on," Shinso said. "Let me disable the guards. How many, Mei?"

"Three, two in the van still, and the one outside," Mei told him.

"Got it."

The drone footage zoomed out, and Izuku saw Shinso jog out from around a corner, a laundry hamper on his shoulder full of clothes slung over his back. He had on dark sunglasses, a bulky hoodie, and a beanie to hide his hair. He jogged over to the laundromat, then frowned at the sign and walked to the van.

"Hey guys, I thought this place was open 24 hours?" Shinso asked, Izuku hearing him over the radio.

"Sorry kid, closed for repairs for the night," the guard outside answered. One.

"Damn, are you guys the repairmen?" Shinso asked the driver and his passenger.

"Yeah, that's us," the driver replied. Two.

"Crap, know when it will be fixed?" Shinso asked the passenger.

There was a moment's silence, then a sigh. "It'll be done by the time the sun comes up, come back then." Three.

"Got them all." Shinso said quietly. He pointed to the guard outside. "Go knock on the door, get them to open it." Then he jogged out of sight of the entrance, dropping his hamper and pulling his capture weapon out of it.

"Move in!" Burnin ordered.

With a groan, Izuku stood, pressing the button that opened the door of the truck and climbing out. He was in the Ultra Armor, as they knew that Iceman was a dangerous opponent. He couldn't go inside, but his job was to collar anyone who tried to flee.

Burning, Bakugo, Uraraka, Shinso, and Ashido ran up to the entrance just as someone from the inside opened the door.

"Hey, hold the door!" Shinso called.

The woman inside eyes widened, and she started to yell "Her-" before Uraraka jumped forward and slammed her fist into the MLA soldier's jaw. The criminal crumpled to the floor, and Izuku moved forward, carefully dragging her out into the street. He sprayed her and the three still mind controlled guards down with capture foam. "Outside secure, you can let them go now Shinso."

"Thanks," Shinso grunted. "We'll take it from here. Check the van."

Izuku glanced at the closed van, wondering how he'd get it open. With a shrug, he just walked around to the back, punching a hole in the back door, and ripping it out. Inside he found several stacks of boxes, and a man who was bound and gagged, looking at him with wide, terrified eyes.

"Crap, I've got a hostage here!" Izuku said. "Mei, contact EMS right away! I need backup, now!"

"En route to your location," Iida answered. "I'll be there in two minutes."

Gently, Izuku reached down, pulling off the man's gag. "Hey, it's OK, who are you?"

"A hero?" the man gasped. He had long blue hair with odd spiky ends, and was dressed in a long white robe, an odd beaky mask laying next to him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Izuku blinked. That hadn't been the response he'd been expecting. "We're here to rescue you," Izuku said, not wanting to give the man further information. He studied him carefully, taking an image and sending it to Mei. He had blue hair that ended in weird arrows, but Izuku didn't recognize him from any of the MLA member photos they'd been shown.

"Really?" the man asked, sounding surprised. He was silent for a moment. "Wait, you're that quirkless hero, right?"

"Yes," Izuku said, reaching in and pulling the man out carefully. He used his laser to quickly cut through his bonds. "Are you alright? EMS is on their way."

"I'm fine," the man said. He bowed shakily to Izuku, his limbs still stiff from being restrained. "Thank you. And, it is a pleasure to meet you. It is a privilege to meet you. I and my comrades quite admire you, um, I don't know your hero name, should I just call you Midoriya?"

"I...don't have a hero name," Izuku admitted. "Maybe I'm just Power Suit?"

"Power Suit? Well, I've heard odder ones," the man said. He frowned. "Listen, I hate to cause you trouble, but I don't want to be here when the police arrive."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to require you to stay. We'll need your testimony, and to know why the MLA kidnapped you," Izuku informed him.

"Because I oppose their ideology. Vehemently," the man told Izuku. He seemed to consider something, then shrugged. "My name is Kurono. The MLA took me because I believe that they, and many others, are out of control, overusing their quirks. Personally, I wish we lived in a world without them. Even if it meant giving up my own quirk. The world was safer, and better then. I'm...a political activist, shall we say, and have had some run ins with the police."

"Oh," Izuku said, wincing. "Well, I can understand why the MLA would hate you. They don't like me very much either, and-"

"Izuku! That man is a member of the Yakuza!" Mei cried. "He's a Lieutenant of the Shie Haassaiki!"

Izuku's arm shot up, and he quickly sprayed Kurono down with capture foam. The man grunted, then fell to the ground, his legs and torso glued together. "I see you found out who I am. Very well. I can't blame you."

"Sorry, but you're a known criminal," Izuku told him. "I'm afraid you'll be held for questioning."'

"I understand, and I don't blame you. You're just doing your job. I am grateful that you saved my life. I assure you, I was doing nothing wrong," Kurono told him.

Just then, Iida ran up, panting slightly. "I heard you captured a Yakuza member from Mei?"

"Yes, he was apparently kidnapped by the MLA," Izuku told him. "He'll need to be held for questioning."

"I won't resist, don't worry. I'll help you put these dangerous lunatics away," Kurono said from the ground. "The Yakuza is an honorable organization, not like these rebellious madmen."

"Hmph. We shall see," Iida said, sounding disgusted. "Do you think I'll be enough backup for you? We've still got our reserves," Iida said.

"Maybe," Izuku said, turning. "Mei, have you heard anything from Burnin's group?"

"They're underground and it's interfering with our radio communications," Mei told him. "We'll need to set up relays in the future. Wait, hold on, I'm reading some seismic anomalies. I think-"

The laundrymat's roof suddenly exploded as a massive spike of ice shot through the roof.

"-out, Iceman's trying to escape!" Burnin's voice said, the signal suddenly coming through.

"On it!" Izuku shouted, taking off into the air after the figure fleeing on a trail of ice. He launched several missiles full of capture foam as he flew, but Iceman raised a barricade that caused them to impact harmlessly. Izuku gritted his teeth. The hard way then. He activated his heat shield, causing the surface of the Ultra Armor to rapidly rise in temperature, and crashed right through the icy barrier.

Turning, Iceman fired off a barrage of icicles at Izuku, his eyes glowing with blue malevolence beneath his hood. "You are nothing but a dead end! A failure of evolution! Culling you from the gene pool will be doing humanity a service!"

Witty banter wasn't something Izuku was good at, and if he were honest with himself, Iceman's words made him too angry to try.

"Shut up, you bastard!" It wasn't really a good quip, but it did express Izuku's feelings, and he punctuated it by activating his flamethrower.

A jet of blue white flame shot out of Izuku's arm, searing through the ice below the MLA lieutenant. He fell with a cry of anger, landing hard on the rooftop a few meters below them, with Izuku crashing down beside him and taking a swing.

"I am a member of the Meta Liberation Army! I shall lead the people to freedom and glory, as Destro foretold!" Iceman grunted as he stood, trying to freeze Izuku with another wave of ice. "Do not compare me to that unevolved trash! We are the next step in human evolution! We shall-"

Iceman's words cut off as Izuku's fist slammed right into his face, punching right through his wall of ice. The villain flew back and slammed into a large air conditioning unit, which exploded in frost. The wave of cold flowed towards Izuku, who immediately launched himself back into the air, firing off several HE missiles at Iceman.

"Need a little help here!" Izuku shouted into the radio, trying to keep his distance as more shards of ice shot towards him. He dodged most, but some slammed into the Ultra Armor, denting the suit and rattling Izuku.

"You bink dat your machines are a match bor be!?" Iceman snarled, frozen blood crusting his face.

Instead of answering Izuku aimed his arm at his foe, who laughed at him. "More fire?"

Instead of flames, this time Izuku shot his laser at Iceman. Unfortunately, the misty air was filled with water and ice particles, which refracted, dramatically reducing the laser's power. It still cut into Iceman's shoulder, and he howled with rage, a blizzard forming around them.

Izuku's suit warned him that it was starting to ice up, even with the heat shielding.

"Izuku, Bakugo, Burnin, Ochako and Tenya are almost to you!" Mei informed him.

"Got it." Knowing he had backup, Izuku dove into the icy storm, firing his flamethrower more to try to keep himself from being frozen than to try to harm the villain.

"Pathetic," Iceman laughed, and a monstrous demon made of solid ice arose around him, blue eyes burning as it roared in anger and slammed into Izuku. He punched and kicked at it, but the ice began to encase him entirely, his heat shielding failing.

"Don't die on me now you asshole!" Bakugo shouted over the radio, and the air was rent by a massive explosion, the ice demon shattering from the shockwave.

Bakugo fell out of the sky, Uraraka on his back. They suddenly halted before they hit the ground, Uraraka's anti-gravity holding them in midair. Using his explosions, Bakugo propelled himself at Iceman as Izuku stood, using his flamethrower to free himself from the ice. He watched his radar and smiled.

"Think we're still weak?" he called to Iceman.

The terrorist snarled, sending a wave of ice at Bakugo and Izuku. "You're weak and pathetic, dogs of the system! Someone like you should be helping us, Bakugo! You are strong, why tether yourself to these weaklings?"

"Because screw you that's why, asshole!" Bakugo laughed as he held off the ice with explosions.

"You are more than human! We are the next step-"

Iceman's words were cut off as a wave of flame engulfed him, and he screamed in pain. Burning, propelled by Iida's engines, laughed as she hurled fireball after fireball at the MLA lieutenant. "You should talk less and fight more!"

Iceman wove a cocoon of ice about himself, then flung another wave of frost at Burnin and Iida, who crashed down onto a roof as Iida's engines iced over.

"I can take all of you," Iceman panted. "My meta ability is strong, too strong for-"

A massive chunk of ice slammed into the back of Iceman's head, and he slumped over, groaning. Uraraka dusted off her hands, glaring down at the fallen MLA leader. "You might be strong, but we're a team. And you made the mistake of hurting Hari. No one messes with my big sis."

Izuku quickly hurried over, coating Iceman in a layer of capture foam. "He's unconscious," Izuku told them, reading the biometrics from his suit's display. "But we have to be careful. He's still dangerous. He won't be able to move, but with his quirk he can manipulate any nearby water. I don't know if he has to be able to move to do so, but I'm not taking any chances. Mei, how's the other team doing?"

"They fought a bunch of weird puppet guys, but they've secured the warehouse. There's a lot less Trigger there than we expected," Mei informed. "The police are waiting for you down below, they want to talk to you about the yakuza guy you found."

Hoisting Iceman over his shoulder, Izuku leapt down from the rooftops, using his hover boots to ease his descent as the others jumped down beside him. A group of police were waiting for them, and they loaded the still unconscious Iceman into an armored vehicle with specialized equipment to remove the moisture in the air. Two of Endeavour's stronger sidekicks would accompany the police, to ensure that if Iceman did cause trouble he could be put down quickly.

"How did it go?" Izuku asked, walking up to Shinso.

"Alright until he took off," Shinso said with a sigh. "Tried to get him with my quirk, but he didn't answer. Just took off as soon as he realized we were after him. Still managed to capture another half dozen MLA goons. But that's not the real prize."

Shinso held up a phone, grinning wickedly. "Iceman dropped this when he fled. And it was already unlocked. Bet he thought it would get crushed in the ice, but somehow it didn't."

"What's on it?" Izuku asked curiously.

"A lot of stuff. I'm still uploading all of it to Mei, but at the very least we got contacts, names, dates, and locations. We might finally be able to crack this case wide open," Shinso said.

"It's only been a month so far," Izuku answered.

"Yeah, a boring, stupid month," Bakugo grumbled as he came up behind Izuku. "All we ever do is patrol and take out small fry!"

"That's most of what bein' a hero is, kid," Burnin said, slapping Bakugo on the back and laughing. Bakugo turned to glare at Burnin, but Izuku could tell he wasn't actually all that upset. "Besides, if this wasn't enough action for you tonight, I don't know what would be!"

"Not sitting around on my ass for three hours in the cold would have been nice," Bakugo grumbled.

"I wouldn't complain too much, it's only just now October. Wait a few months and you'll get real cold on a stake out!" Burnin told them.

"I just want to go home and sleep," Uraraka sighed, slumping down to sit on the sidewalk. She grimaced, massaging her stomach. "Ugh, after sitting around for so long using my quirk like that wasn't fun on an empty belly."

"We're not done yet, there's still work to be done," Iida told them. "We should help the police with investigating the area for more MLA members."

"Nah, they got this, we cleared out the heavy hitters and the cops'll take care of the rest," Burnin said, yawning and stretching. "But we aren't done, you're right about that. Guess what we get to do now?"

"Paperwork," Izuku groaned. "Lots of paperwork."

"Yes! I have already started with cataloguing the damage that was done during the fight," Mei said over the radio. "My current estimate is that we will need to file insurance claims for about ¥120 million, but we're still calculating the water damage."

"Well at least one of us is excited about math," Uraraka said with a half hearted smile. She yawned again, then stuck her arm out to Bakugo. He pulled her up with a grunt, and they headed off with Burnin' towards the truck they'd arrived in.

"Mind if I make my own way back?" Izuku asked. "I could stand to do with a little exercise."

"Go for it, we could stand to show our presence on the street a little more anyway," Burnin told him. "You go with him, Iida."

"Of course. I don't mind stretching my legs out a bit. It was a rather tedious wait," Iida replied, arching his back and yawning. "Mei, do you have a route for us?"

"Yep, sending it to you now Izuku. I'll let you know if there's any reports, but it's 2:39 in the morning, I don't think you'll see much activity right now."

Izuku and Iida ran off, making their way through the mostly empty streets. While a ward of Tokyo like Jinosa was never truly empty at night, cars and foot traffic were light, with most businesses closed. Still, people recognized Izuku and Iida as they moved along the roadway, some smiling and waving, others turning away, reluctant to attract the attention of two well known heroes.

"Should we stop and investigate any of them?" Izuku wondered over the radio to Iida.

"They're not obviously breaking any laws, and most of them are probably simply tired," Iida said. "It would foster ill will to do random checks."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Izuku agreed. "I just wonder how many of them are secretly MLA members or something."

Iida sighed heavily. "Too many. And more of them are buying that tainted Trigger. There was another overdose today. Well, yesterday now I suppose. This time they died instead of just losing their quirk."

"That puts the body count up to four, and two dozen turned quirkless," Izuku said with a shiver. "But why would the MLA be distributing these drugs if they're so dangerous? Why would they want to hurt quirk users?"

"I don't know. Perhaps it's because they believe everyone should be able to use their quirks freely," Iida replied. "Maybe they think that if your quirk fails, you're too weak to be worthy of whatever mad scheme they have."

"Maybe. Hopefully we get some answers out of Iceman or Kurono. I wonder how the yakuza are involved?" Izuku mused.

They made two stops on their trip back, one to help a man with a flat tire fix his car, another to listen to the concerns of a woman who claimed her ex-boyfriend was stalking her. For that, Izuku and Iida called the police, then waited until an officer arrived to talk to the woman. Domestic disputes weren't hero territory, at least not unless quirks were involved. For the most part, people did seem happy or at least indifferent to see Izuku and Iida as they ran back to Endeavor's hero agency.

When they arrived at the base, Mei was waiting for Izuku, grinning broadly as he jogged up to the repair bay. "Great work tonight, Izuku! You really showed that ice jerk how stupid the MLA is!"

"Thanks," Izuku said as Mei helped him out of the Ultra Armor. She offered him his daywear prosthetics, and helped Izuku attach it. It was lighter and easier to wear than the heavier model he wore during hero work, though it still had a retractable carbon fiber blade, small laser, lock pick, and built in communications. "Your drones were a big help again."

"They are the cutest!" Mei agreed, then leaned up to peck Izuku on the check and give him a quick squeeze. "Except for you! Want some coffee?"

"Please," Izuku groaned, taking a can and popping it open. He chugged a bit and sighed contentedly. With the long hours they were having to put in as provisional heroes, he was developing as much of a caffeine addiction as Mei.

"Hey Tenya, want some?" Izuku called.

"Please," Iida agreed, and Mei tossed him a can as well. She'd taken to carrying several cans on her toolbelt to share, finding that she enjoyed offering her friends a quick pickmeup.

After that, Izuku headed to the conference room with Iida, where they found most of the others waiting. Uraraka and Bakugo were in the infirmary along with Tsu and Ojiro, all of them having suffered minor injuries. They'd be treated, put to bed, and made to do the paperwork in the morning.

"You're late," Endeavor said, not looking up from his computer screen. "That means you get media duty in the morning."

Izuku groaned softly at the pronouncement, and looked to Iida, who smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'll handle most of the talking."

"Thanks," Izuku said with a sigh of relief, sinking into a chair and grabbing a tablet from the table. He pulled up the online form he had to fill out for an after action report and started typing.

"I'll go check on our baby," Mei said, giving Izuku a pat on the head. "Don't forget to eat something!" She grabbed a musubi from a tray on the table and put it on a plate in front of Izuku.

"I won't, thanks," Izuku promised, absently reaching out and taking a bite as he tapped away. He started to fill out the form, listing his reasons for engaging Iceman as he had; the need to prevent a dangerous villain from escaping, fighting in a mostly deserted business area at night to minimize civilian casualties, and so on.

After an hour or so, Endeavor finally stretched and stood. "Right, that's enough. First shift's already hit the hay for tomorrow. The rest of you get to bed, your patrol schedules are posted. Midoriya, Iida, you've got the press conference at 0900."

Izuku glanced at the time display on his tablet and grimaced. That was in less than five hours. He groaned, but stood and headed for the bunk room. With so many heroes working at all hours of the day, an entire floor of Endeavor's headquarters was dedicated to living spaces, from staffed cafeteria, gym, break room, and room with bunk beds for those with early or late shifts to rest in. Izuku opened the display and sent a quick text to Mei to let her know he was heading to bed. She didn't reply right away, which Izuku took to mean she'd either fallen asleep at her work or Hari, Burnin, or someone else had made her go to bed too.

That ended up being the case, as Mei was passed out on a bottom bunk, snoring softly, still dressed in her work clothes. Izuku carefully tucked her in, then took his arm off, setting it in the trunk at the foot of the bunk, climbing awkwardly up to the top one handed, and passing out after a few short minutes.

What felt like moments later, Izuku's alarm went off, and groaning he dragged himself out of bed. It was 8 o'clock, and he had a press conference in only an hour. He showered quickly, put on his arm, changed into his pink and green hero costume, and after checking on the still sleeping Mei, headed down to the media prep room, where Iida was already having makeup applied. A specialist saw to Izuku as well; Endeavor employed several full time makeup artists and media specialists, as his agency had to put out press releases and be ready for important conferences at a moment's notice.

"You look great, Izuku," Iida told him, smiling and giving Izuku a thumbs up.

"That's good, because I feel like I'm dying," Izuku groaned. He smiled at the makeup artist. "Got any coffee?"

"Right here, dear," she said, and offered Izuku a steaming cup along with a breakfast pastry with meat and egg.

Wolfing it down and draining the cup of coffee quickly, Izuku sighed and leaned back in his chair as the artist quickly did up his hair and applied a few touches to his face. Izuku was fairly used to it now, and simply closed his eyes and tried not to fall asleep again.

The conference was mercifully only about a half hour long, Endeavor would hold a full press conference later in the week with the entire team, but for now the public had to be informed.

Iida did nearly all the talking, and most of the questions were directed at him; the reporters were familiar with Izuku and his difficulty speaking in front of an audience. Izuku just did his best not to fidget and to smile at the cameras. The only real question was confirming that he was officially titled Power Suit now, which Izkuku agreed to since it was easier than saying no.

Once that was over, Izuku found Mei waiting for him. She smiled and gave him a hug. "You did good! You didn't stutter at all when you answered the question about fighting ice jerk!"

"Yeah, I just thought about what you would say, it does help a little," Izuku said. Then he yawned. "Ah. How's the Ultra Armor?"

"It needs a refit, but I think you need to go to bed more," Mei told him. "Come on, Hari'll take us back to UA."

"Sounds great," Izuku agreed.

Hari drove Izuku back in her car, though he passed out for most of the short trip. Mei shook him awake when he arrived, and they both headed back to bed. Izuku changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, took off his arm and placed it on the charging dock, then lay down for a few hours. Another day in the life of a hero. Absently, he wondered when the last time he'd studied had been. He wasn't certain, but he knew that Mei considered every day they didn't have to learn English a success, and he smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

_Authors Note: _

_Special thanks to gojifan97 on tumblr, who drew an incredibly cute picture of Baby Mei drawing a picture of baby Mei picking a lock. You can check it out on their site, as fanfiction doesn't allow linking or image sharing. _

_Going forward, astute readers will notice that Class 1A has changed how they address one another. Many of them will now call each other by their first names or a diminutive, not their last names. This is due to Japanese social conventions, where by and large, most people refer to one another by their last names. First names and diminutives are reserved for close friends (this makes Tsu rather odd, as she asks to be called by a diminutive upon a first meeting, and shows she's a more informal person. In this story, Mei is the same way more because she doesn't understand social conventions well). As Class 1A grows closer together and forms stronger bonds, they are changing their form of address to one suitable for family, not schoolmates. For the sake of my sanity however, the narration will continue to use mostly last names or in the case of Shoto Todoroki, his first name, as it is possible to confuse him for his father._

_There is, however, a notable exception. _

_We're not really doing the whole hero name/epitaph thing save in interviews. The diminutives are more nicknames (and are more often than not embarassing by design). Most were given by Bakugo or the Hatsume sisters. _

_Names: _

_Mei "Goggles" Hatsume_

_Izuku "Nerd" Midoriya  
Mina "Pinky" Ashido_

_Kyoko "Ears" Jiro_

_Yuga "Princess Sparkles" Aoyama_

_Tenya "Speedy" Iida_

_Katsuki "Demon" Bakugo_

_Ochako "Hurl" Uraraka_

_Eijiro "Rocky" Kirishima_

_Denki "Fry Brain" Kaminari_

_Koja "Whisper" Koda_

_Tsuyu "Tsu" Asui _

_Hitoshi "Smiley" Shinso_

_Mashirao "Monkey Boy" Ojiro_

_Rikiado "Sweet Tooth" Sato_

_Mezo "Arms" Shoji_

_Hanta "Sticky" Sero_

_Fumikage "Edge Bird" Tokoyami_

_Shoto "Icy Hot" Todoroki_

_Momo "Fats" Yaoyorozu_

_Toru "Bubbles" Hagakure_

_Hari "Big Sis" Hatsume_

_Minoru "Sir Not Appearing In This Fic" Mineta_

_Shatsu "Red Shirt" Akai_


	45. Fault Lines

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_45\. Fault Lines_

_In complex systems malfunction and even total nonfunction may not be detectable for a long period._

_-John Gall_

Izuku woke up around the early afternoon, yawning and stretching. After completing a rather late toilet, he made sure to thoroughly dry his stump, then carefully attach his arm. It was difficult to get it properly resting on his shoulder and strapped in alone, but he could do it after the months of practice he'd had. Then he sent a quick text to Mei to let her know he was heading to the gym to work out. To his surprise, she answered back that she was already there and would wait for him.

At the gym, Izuku found Mei working out with Hagakure, who waved excitedly to him as he entered, her sweat stained top wiggling with enthusiasm as she continued to run on a treadmill. "Hey Izuku! Come on, Mei's just finishing up!"

Mei was jogging in place on a treadmill, a look of intense concentration on her face. Izuku walked over to glance at the readout, and was impressed to see it ticking up towards 5k. He climbed on to the treadmill next to Mei, starting his own exercise routine. He didn't get his full 10k in every day these days, but whenever he could he continued to follow The Hero workout program, as it was a comforting sense of routine.

When Mei's machine dinged in just a few minutes, she gasped for air and nearly collapsed, slumping down onto the treadmill and groaning softly. Izuku paused to check on her, but she just lay there with her eyes closed for a minute. "Exercise is hard," she whined.

"It gets easier!" Hagakure said happily, continuing to jog. "But now your secret's out!"

"It wasn't really a secret," Mei muttered, opening her eyes and frowning at Izuku. "I have been exercising sometimes. I decided that even if I am not going to be a hero like you, since I am in the hero course I should participate in the same group activities. It is a part of increasing my social skills."

"Well, I'm glad Toru talked you into it," Izuku said, smiling and offering Mei his left hand. She accepted it and he hauled her up, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. He was now a good two inches taller than Mei, and that gap continued to widen to her continued consternation, as they had to keep adjusting the Power Armor to fit Izuku's growth.

"Kyoka and Mina were the ones who convinced her," Hagakure commented, slightly out of breath from her own run now. "She's been coming for a few weeks with us girls!"

"Yes, it is very exhausting but I think it is getting easier. Maybe I should give myself robot legs, that might help," Mei stated, patting Izuku's right arm affectionately. "I am supposed to work on weights now. You can keep running Izuku, I know it is important to you."

Izuku got back on the treadmill as Mei moved over to lift some of the lighter weights, completing an exercise routine that Izuku recognized from watching Jiro and Ashido.

"Thanks for convincing her to exercise," Izuku told Hagakure quietly. "I never even thought of it."

"According to Kyoka and Mina they didn't need to do much more than mention that it was something the rest of us all did," Hagakure said, slowing her pace down as she finished her run. She sighed, stepping off the treadmill and doing a few cool down stretches. "Honestly I think she's still scared from getting kidnapped by The League of Villains. We all are, really. Can you imagine if that happened again?"

"I had nightmares about it every night for a month," Izuku said, shaking his head to try to dislodge the memory. "Still do sometimes."

"Yeah. Me too. And sometimes...sometimes I don't get out of that warehouse fast enough. Or I do...and none of you are still alive."

Izuku ran in silence for a few moments, watching as Mei methodically continued to exercise.

"Wow, I guess I really killed the mood, huh?" Hagakure said with a nervous giggle. "Sorry. Well, gotta go lift some weights myself. Have fun!"

Izuku lost himself in the routine, enjoying Mei's company in the gym but doing his own thing. He nodded to students from the other classes, most of whom looked as tired as he felt. Class 1A wasn't the only one working long hours at Internships. From what Izuku had heard, it was rare for any of the Hero Course classes to actually have class these days, and when they did it was always training related in some way. While the other classes were split up amidst various agencies, all of them were making a big push to bolster the number of heroes on the streets. But it didn't seem to be enough.

"Four murders were reported last night in Mustafa, a record high. The deaths were a result of a clash between the Meta Liberation Army and a yakuza group. Police blame increased violence on a recent influx of drugs, especially variants of the well known American Quirk Enhancing Drug, Trigger. Various pro heroes are working closely with police to curb the violence, including The Pillars of Peace from Class 1A," a TV screen reported as Izuku finished up his crunches.

He sighed and stood, glancing at Mei and Hagakure. The invisible girl was training Mei on how to use a few of the machines, and while Mei seemed to grasp the concepts quickly enough, she clearly wasn't enjoying herself. He walked over and smiled. "Hey, I'm pretty hungry, you two want to head to the cafeteria and get something to eat?"

"Yes!" Mei said, popping up immediately. "I am hungry also!"

"I could eat," Hagakure agreed. "I guess that's enough for the day anyway."

It was early for dinner, but the Cafeteria was populated with plenty of students as they entered. Even the General Studies and Support Course students had their schedules thrown out of whack, with the support course racing to churn out supplies for the Hero Course and the General studies students volunteering at hospitals, homeless shelters, and other places.

"UA sure is making a push to be visible in society these days," Izuku commented, glancing around. "Seems like nothing is normal these days."

"That's rich, coming from you, the people who caused all this!"

Izuku frowned, turning to see a boy with blonde hair dressed in an oddly anachronistic suit. He vaguely recognized him as Monoma from Class 1B. Before Izuku could speak, Mei had stepped right up into the boy's face, sticking her finger in his nose.

"Izuku is not to blame for things being so strange! He is trying to help! What are you doing to help, huh? Learn some social skills!"

"Geeze Monoma, if Hatsume has your number, you know you've screwed up," Tetsutetsu laughed, coming to stand beside his classmate. He slapped Monoma on the shoulder. "I'd suggest picking on someone else, you threaten one member of Class 1A and you're likely to end up in a shallow grave."

"'Even a fool is counted wise when he stays silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue,'" Shiozaki said, her tone indicating she was quoting something.

Monoma rolled his eyes. "And here I thought Kendo wasn't with us. Fine, I've already eaten anyway. You two enjoy sucking up to the star children." He walked away, Mei glaring after him.

"He is very rude. I do not like him," she huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Be at ease," Shiozaki said, resting a gentle hand on Mei's shoulder. "He has had a trying time. A few nights back, he watched a child bleed out while he was trying to rescue them from a car crash. He is in mourning."

"Oh." Mei considered this. "Well he's still rude. But I will try to be nice."

"I heard about that," Hagakure said quietly. "That's awful. I've seen a couple of people hurt really badly at my internship, and one villain died when Endeavor burned them when they tried to kill Shoto. They deserved it, but...I can't imagine having a little kid die while you were trying to save them."

"Yeah. Didn't think about stuff like that when I signed up to be a hero," Tetsutetsu said soberly. He glanced at Izuku. "Guess you guys have more experience with that stuff than we do. Honestly? I'm not jealous."

"Hey, have you guys eaten? We were just going to get something! You should join us!" Hagakure invited.

Mei looked unsure and looked to Izuku, but he smiled and nodded. "They're our schoolmates. We should try to get to know one another."

"It would be our privilege to break bread together," Shiozaki said, smiling and nodding, and Tetsutetsu gave a thumbs up.

They all grabbed trays and loaded up from the buffet style line. Lunch Rush kept hot food available at all hours of the day, along with tea, coffee, and whatever else a tired student might need after a long shift at an internship. They sat together at a vacant table, and Izuku and Mei dug in immediately. After a moment though, Izuku paused, noticing that Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki hadn't begun eating. It was hard to tell what Hagakure was doing sometimes, as food vanished when it entered her mouth, but she seemed to be hesitating as well.

Izuku put a hand on Mei's arm, and she paused, frowning. "What?" she mumbled, her mouth half full of food.

"Do not be troubled, it is merely my habit to give thanks before a meal," Shiozaki stated.

"I, um, well, sorta picked up the habit," Tetsutetsu admitted. "Kinda nice to listen to her sometimes. It's weird, but well, I guess if it helps you sleep through the night, it's OK."

"Oh," Mei said. She gave a jerky bow. "Thank you for the food." She looked at Izuku, her chopsticks stretched towards her food, but Izuku didn't move, frowning as Shiozaki bowed her head.

"Our father, who art in heaven," she began. She said a short, strange prayer in formal language that Izuku hadn't heard before, her eyes closed and her head bowed. Tetsutetsu copied her, his fingers twiddling nervously, one eye cocked at Izuku and his classmates, obviously wondering if they thought he was weird.

When Shiozaki was finished, she looked up and smiled. "Thank you for humoring me. Please, eat."

"Oh my gosh, are you a Christian?" Hagakure asked. "I've never met one before! At least, not one that I knew about."

"I am," Shiozaki said, nodding her head and taking out her chopsticks. "My family has long been Japanese Christians, since the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It is a relief that we are once again allowed to practice our faith in the open, after the dark days of the Times of Change."

"I'm not," Tetsutesue said hurriedly. "I just, well, I mean, man's gotta be polite and stuff."

Hagakure giggled and her clothes leaned towards Shiozaki. "Oh my gosh, does he have a crush on you?" she said in a stage whisper.

Tetsutetsu let out a strangled sound, his quirk suddenly activating as his body went rigid.

Shiozaki eyed Hagakure, then shrugged. "That is a private matter. At the very least, I am grateful to him that he is willing to respect my faith, even if he does not share it."

"That's OK, I've totally got it figured out who likes who in my class," Hagakure said confidently, food beginning to vanish from her plate. It was always odd, watching her eat, and Izuku had to do his best not to stare. "I mean, aside from the obvious, like Mei and Izuku being together. People knew that from the first day of school."

Izuku blushed and looked down, while Mei laughed. "That is funny! Izuku did not know we were dating until the Sports Festival! I forgot to tell him, but it should have been obvious as we had gone on a date together when we graduated from Junior High! You have very good social skills, Toru."

"That's debatable," Tetsutetsu muttered, slouching in his seat, his face half hidden by his arm as he shoveled food into his mouth. He was sneaking the occasional glance at Shiozaki, but he was clearly still embarrassed.

"What!?" Hagakure gasped. "Mei, you can't be serious! It was like, so obvious that you two were in love! You mean Izuku didn't confess to you or anything until the Sports Festival!"

"Confess what?" Mei asked, clearly confused. "I don't think he did anything wrong. Well, except when he said I was disabled but he said sorry and I forgave him."

Hagakure let out a small gasp. "Shiozaki, can you believe this?! Clearly, Izuku needs to learn a thing or two about love!"

"I think not," Shiozaki said calmly, continuing to eat in a slow, almost dainty fashion. "He and Hatsume clearly care for one another deeply. They are patient and kind to one another. They neither boast, nor are they overly proud. They are not self seeking, and neither of them seem to have a short temper with one another. They do not seek evil, only the good for one another and their fellow man. I think they understand love quite well."

"Wow! That is like, super wise! You must know a lot about love, where did you learn that?" Hagakure asked eagerly.

"It's from the Christan Bible," Tetsutetsu muttered, looking up to glare in Hagakure's direction. It was somewhat hard to do, as she moved about a lot and you could only see her clothes. "From the New Testament. Corithians or something. It's a super famous saying about love."

Sudden interest sparked in Shiozaki's eyes, and she set down her chopsticks. "Why Tetsutetsu, I didn't know you had been studying the scriptures. Have you been reading the tracks I left out for everyone?"

"Nothing else interesting to read and we don't need to study much no more," Tetsutestsu mumbled, looking away. "I mostly just like the stories. Like when that dude strangled a lion with his bare hands. Guess they had quirks back in the bible or something."

"Ah, the story of Samson! He was a mighty man of God, but flawed," Shiozaki said with a sigh. She glanced at Izuku and Mei. "My apologies. I know you did not invite us to dine to hear a sermon. Please, tell us, how are your internships going? We heard you arrested one of the MLA's leaders early this morning."

"Yes, Izuku beat up the Ice Jerk!" Mei said eagerly. "The Ultra Armor has a flamethrower now, but I need to find a way to increase its output in case we fight more bad guys with strong quirks! It barely held back the ice!"

"Ochaco, Bakugo, Tenya, and Burnin saved me," Izuku explained. "I just got tapped to do the press conference."

"Man I hate those," Tetsutetsu complained. "Why do they make us get up and talk in front of the cameras?! We're just interns! I mean, it makes sense for you guys, you're famous and all, but I'm just a first year nobody!"

"I don't like it very much either," Hagakure agreed. "Especially when they made me do it in costume before my new threads. I was naked on TV, did people not consider that?!"

"That is rather salacious when you put it that way," Shiozaki agreed. "I have often wondered myself why our mentor hero, Kamui Woods, is so eager to have us so prominently in front of the cameras. It is very odd."

"Izuku doesn't like being on TV very much. I don't know why, he's very smart and amazing and should tell people about it more but I try to do that for him since he hates it," Mei said.

"Do you like being on TV, Hatsume?" Shiozaki asked curiously.

"No, because that means less time for Izuku, my friends, and my babies," Mei said. "But I do not mind it very much as it makes people happy and we get more funding! Also Izuku and I get letters from people which I think he likes."

Izuku blushed and looked down. He continued to receive a great deal of fanmail, and did his best to answer at least some of it, though the sheer volume of letters these days meant that he'd needed to have his mother take over answering most of the mail, only sending him a select few. Interestingly, she was drawing a wage from UA for doing so, as it was considered an important Support Service to answer fan mail.

"Yeah, I got some letters too from some kids I helped rescue during a robbery," Tetsutetsu said, smiling. "It was sorta nice. Bet you 1A types get a whole bunch of fan mail."

"It's nice," Hagakure admitted. "I think I probably don't get as much as Izuku does but I do treasure the letters I get. I never thought I'd stand out, you know?"

"Even if your quirk is invisibility, I think you're a rather unforgettable person, Hagakure," Shiozaki said with a smile. "You're just so happy and bubbly all the time. Being around you is like being around a ray of sunshine."

"Really? Thanks. That means a lot to me," Hagakure said, sounding relieved. "I just...I want to help people, you know? And it always made me sad no one could see me smile, so I wanted to make sure to make as many people smile as I could, just like All Might."

That brought an abrupt silence to the table. "How is he? Do you guys know?" Tetsutetsu asked quietly. "The last we heard…"

"Still alive, as far as we know," Izuku answered, keeping his voice low. "But he's not doing well. He sends us little video lectures sometimes to encourage us, but...but he doesn't look well."

"No. I pray for him every day," Shiozaki said fervently. "Truely, he is a great man. I only wish we had more time with him. He gave so much for us all."

"I like him, now," Mei said, looking at Izuku. "I used to think he was mean, but he was really nice all along."

Izuku nodded, folding his hands together and looking at the way his flesh and metal intertwined. "I was wrong to ever hate him. He's the reason I met Mei, the reason I found the drive to be a hero. I suppose...I suppose I needed to be angry, to break myself out of my self pity. But...but I do feel guilty I ever hated All Might. Sometimes I wonder, if I'd acted just a bit differently...Maybe he'd still be OK."

"It wasn't your fault, Izuku," Hagakure assured him. "It's just...well, personally, I think All For One stole All Might's quirk. Just like he did with Mei."

Tetsutetsu choked on his food, gasping for breath. He scrambled to take a long drink of water as Shiozaki's food dropped out of her chopsticks as she gaped in Hagakure's direction.

"I think that is supposed to be a secret," Mei told Hagakure. "The teachers keep telling me not to tell anyone my quirk was stolen, but it is very obvious if you ever look at my eyes."

"Um, yeah, but you always...wear...goggles...oh crap." Hagakure's clothes almost seemed to deflate slightly. "Oh man. I am so glad I'm invisible right now."

"All Might's Quirk was-" Tetsutetsu began, but then cut himself off. He looked around, but no one was really paying attention to them. UA students discussing All Might was about as interesting as the weather; it was conversational filler for the most part. "His quirk was stolen? Hatsume lost her quirk? Did they give you that tainted Trigger or something?"

"No, it's not. All Might told me himself," Izuku said quietly. "Just...don't go spreading it around. If people knew it was possible for you to lose your quirk, or have it taken...there might be a panic."

"I can see why," Shiozak said, sounding rather faint. She made an odd gesture over her body, touching both her shoulders then her forehead before kissing her fingers. "Christ preserve us. If you can have your quirk stolen...I can't imagine anything more terrifying. Hatsume, please, is there a way you can get it back? Could we help you at all?"

Mei looked down, rocking back and forth nervously. She glanced nervously at Izuku, looking very uncomfortable.

"Not that we know of," Izuku said, taking Mei's hand and giving it a squeeze. She leaned into him, and Izuku could feel her trembling. Whenever the subject of her missing quirk was brought up, she always seemed to regress to those first days out of the hospital. Some wounds, Izuku knew, never really healed.

"It's OK, Mei. Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki are our friends too. They won't hate you like the MLA does," Izuku said quietly. "It doesn't matter if you're quirkless, not to me, or any of us."

"You love me the way I am," Mei said quietly, and Izuku quickly nodded and squeezed her a little more tightly.

"We won't speak a word of this to anyone," Shiozaki promised, then hesitated. "Do the teachers know?"

"Most of them do at least, Mr. Aizawa and Principal Nezu for sure," Hagakure said. "Um, sorry. I know that's a lot to dump on you. And...please, forgive me, Mei. I should have thought more carefully about what I was saying."

"It's OK, Toru. I know you weren't trying to be mean. Sometimes I forget too. Secrets are hard," Mei said, wiping her eyes on Izuku's shirt and sitting up. "I am happy the way I am now. Before, I did not have as many friends. Izuku didn't love me. But now I have lots of friends and Izuku loves me very much. He tells me a lot."

Izuku tried to tell Mei he'd loved her before, that he'd love her no matter what happened, but he couldn't make the words come out. Instead, he hugged Mei, closing his eyes and letting a few tears fall. A moment later he felt arms around him and Mei, and heard Hagakure whisper, "We all care about you, Mei. You're like a sister to me. And Izuku is my weird, awkward brother. We're just one big messed up family."

After a long minute, they sat back up, Mei sniffling and taking her goggles off to clean them and wipe at her eyes, while Hagakure loudly blew her nose into a napkin.

"Your class is very close, isn't it?" Shiozaki asked, dabbing at her own eyes with a handkerchief. Tetsutetsu had red eyes himself, and had excused himself to the restroom, apparently determined to maintain a stoic mask.

"We weren't at first, that's for sure," Hagakure laughed. "We were just a normal class. Sure, I had some friends I was closer with, but we were just schoolmates, you know? But then, well, things changed. I think it started with the USJ attack. After that, I was a lot closer to Arms, and Monkey Boy. Um, I mean Shoji and Oijiro. We were trapped together, fighting off villains. But then...then came Summer Camp, and…"

"And the Hand man and the Mask," Mei whispered. Then she started shivering and humming, but stopped herself when Izuku put his arm around her again. "It was very bad. But I don't think I'd do anything different. Except maybe stop Izuku from losing his arm, even if his new one is very cute. I have lots of friends now, and even without my quirk, I am happier. I get letters from kids who say they like me because I do not have a quirk, like them. Hari helps me answer them."

"I may envy your class's closeness, but I thank God we have not been through the Hell you have," Shiozaki said, shaking her head. She bowed slightly. "Thank you for the meal. I must check on Tetsutetsu. We should speak again; this was pleasant."

Shiozaki departed, and Izuku became lost in his own thoughts, playing with his food and gently rubbing Mei's back, her head resting on his shoulder.

"So, how mad at me are you?" Hagakure asked, breaking Izuku out of his revelry.

"Why would we be mad at you?" Izuku asked, frowning. "Oh, because of what you said? Don't worry about it. Honestly, I'm tired of having to keep secrets. Are you upset Mei?"

"Yes," Mei said. "But not at Hagakure. Let's go to the workshop, Izuku. I need to be alone for a bit."

Izuku thought it somewhat humorous that Mei's idea of being alone was with him, but he understood the sentiment. Truth be told, he dreaded sleep most because it was the only time he was truly alone. He'd woken up late at night more than once to head down to the living area to find others there, struggling with their own nightmares. Mei at least had Hari, for which Izuku was grateful.

At the workshop, Izuku and Mei had a dozen projects that all needed to be completed, but focused on repairing and improving support gear for their classmates. Izuku worked on recalibrating Jiro's sonic amplifiers while Mei worked with Hari constructing a new cooling unit for Iida's engines that would allow him to run faster for longer and farther. While they were working on seperate projects, they were still together, working for a better future.

_Authors Note:_

_When Shiozaki refers to God or says Jesus, she's basically the only character who's actually doing that. The rest of them should be considered to be saying some Japanese equivalent. So Bakugo isn't actually saying goddammit, he's just speaking very rudely in Japanese and that's roughly the English equivalent in peppering his speech with mild swears. As I'm a native English speaker writing for a predominantly english speaking audience, I believe in writing using English idioms to convey the meaning and context of the characters speech and actions instead of using Japanese idioms and slang, as it makes communication clearer for me. That's a choice of style on my part. _

_I maybe should have written this author's note a bit earlier than halfway through the story, but here we are. _


	46. False Masks

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_46\. False Masks_

"_A man who trusts everyone is a fool and a man who trusts no one is a fool. We are all fools if we live long enough."_

― _Lews Therin, The Wheel of Time_

The next morning Izuku was up early, hitting the gym with Mei and some of the others, then a quick breakfast and over to Endeavor's Agency. He headed to the conference room, picking up the day's schedule and assignments.

"Looks like you and I got early street patrol," Shinso said as he looked over his own schedule. "Great, now I can be overshadowed by the giant walking tin can."

"I think I'm just going to use the Power Suit," Izuku said. "It's more personable and easier to approach than the Ultra Armor."

"So I'll be overshadowed by a small tin can. That somehow doesn't feel better," Shinso sighed. Izuku knew him well enough now just to smile and go get changed.

"I'm heading out on patrol," he told Mei as he jogged into the support area. "I'll be taking the Power Armor this time I think, shouldn't need the Ultra Armor."

"Good, I'll take the time to do maintenance on it," Mei agreed, coming over and giving Izuku a quick kiss. "Our baby was pretty beat up from your fight with Iceman and I haven't finished with it yet. Hari's on command duty, she'll keep you safe."

Mei helped Izuku take off his prosthetic and load into the Power Suit, which had a detachable arm in the latest model. That way, Izuku could take it with him if the rest of the suit was damaged, but he didn't have to worry about damaging his regular use arm.

"I'll see you when I get back," Izuku said, giving Mei a hug, then jogging out of the Support Bay. He found Shinso waiting for him, already dressed in his costume.

"We're supposed to patrol downtown and through the business district," Shinso said, tapping at his phone then tucking it away. "Hari's got a route set up for us. You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," Izuku agreed. "Can you hear me, Hari?"

"Loud and clear. You two keep your eyes open. Word is, the MLA is pissed at us right now," Hari warned.

"Of course," Izuku agreed. "We'll just put on a show. Who's on standby today?"

"Endeavor's out with Shoto on a father son bonding mission. Friggin' finally! Been telling that stubborn fool he needed to spend some more time with his dad. He wanted to bring someone else along but thank God Momo talked some sense into him. Anyway, her, Ochako, and Bakugo are on standby with Burnin for now. Mina and Mashirao are on deck for patrol after you, along with Tsu and Rocky."

"Got it, we'll let you know if anything comes up," Izuku promised.

The patrol was a routine now for Izuku and Shinso. A major part of it was just making the presence of the heroes felt on the street. With rising violence and crime, along with attacks by the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army fresh in people's minds, it was becoming harder and harder to keep the peace. As was quickly evidenced.

"We've got a report of a robbery at the corner store a block ahead of both of you," Hari reported only 20 minutes into their patrol. "I'm on the line with the police, they say early indicators are at least three robbers, and a driver. At least one mutant type, quirks unknown."

"On it!" Izuku said, grabbing Shinso under the arms and lifting off into the air. They flew the short distance, to where Izuku could hear shouts and screams ahead of them. There was a dingy white truck illegally parked in front of a gas station, with a masked man with three odd red blade-like horns coming out of his forehead.

"We see them," Shinso reported. "We'll handle this. Hey you! You can't park there!" Shinso shouted as Izuku dropped him towards the truck.

"Screw you man, we're Team-" the driver fell silent, his eyes glazing over as Shinso rolled onto the ground, Izuku landing beside him.

Unfortunately, his companion, a man in a blue headband with long ears pointed ears, smacked him hard immediately, breaking Shinso's control. "Shit! Heroes! Yellow, hurry the hell up!"

Shinso flicked out his capture weapon, grabbing red while he was still disoriented, and jerking him roughly out of the van. "Should have worn your seatbelt!"

Izuku rushed the criminal in the blue headband, who dove away into the store.

"Back off man, I'll kill this girl, swear to god I will!" the man babbled, reaching for a little girl with blue hair who was clinging to her father, who wore a medical face mask and dark gloves. They were both standing to the side, while a large mutant type villain with a yellow pointed nose was ripping an ATM out of the ground.

Before the long eared villain could grab the girl though, the man in the medical mask grabbed onto his arm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, friend," the man said quietly. "I wasn't going to intervene, but if you try to hurt her-"

"Screw you!" a fourth villain, this one green mask and red hair shouted, raising a gun, pointing at the man trying to defend his child.

Izuku didn't think, he just reacted. He fired his laser out of the palm of his hand, slicing it clean through the villains arm. He screamed in pain as his forearm and gun clattered to the ground, clutching at his stump that was spurting blood.

"What?" the yellow mutant said, spinning around. He saw Izuku, and swung the ATM he was carrying with both hands at him. Izuku braced himself to take the hit, interposing himself between the man who was still struggling with blue.

Instead of connecting with Izuku, however, the ATM dissolved into smoke, passing harmlessly through Izuku when the civilian man reached out and touched it. Then it reformed, crashing through the window of the gas station and tumbling into the street, narrowly missing several cars.

Izuku didn't pay attention to that though. He fired a stream of capture foam at yellow, who cried out and tried to struggle against the substance, only for it to harden and trap him. Then he spun to help the civilian, only to find blue lying on the ground and groaning, the man standing over him, his gloves on the ground. His daughter was weeping, clutching to her father, her face hidden.

"There there, it's alright, Eri," the man said, picking the girl up. "Don't worry, we'll still get you a treat. This hero saved us. Do you recognize him? It's the Quirkless Hero, Power Suit. Remember? Izuku Midoriya?"

"I mean, I helped too," Shinso said. He was standing over green, having handcuffed him and was administering first aid. "Everything good?"

"I think so," Izuku said, stooping to spray blue down with capture foam as well. No need to take chances. He looked up at the man. "Thanks for your help. Don't worry about the police, I'll let them know you just used your quirk to save me."

"I was just taking out the trash," the man said. He glanced at green, his eyes crinkling in disgust. "I suppose I could help him as well, but perhaps he deserves to be punished."

Izuku briefly glanced at his own arm. "If you can somehow help him not lose the arm… do it. Speaking as someone who's lost an arm himself, that's not something I'd wish on anyone."

"Hmm. Eri, do you think I should help him? He did scare you," the man asked his daughter.

Eri nodded, looking up briefly to glance at Izuku, then burying her face in the man's shoulder again.

"If you say so, I do so hate blood," the man muttered. He walked over, picking up the severed hand, and tossing aside the gun.

"Hey! Don't touch that, it's evidence, and they might be able to reattach it!" Shinso barked.

"Relax, I'm going to help this worthless scum," the man said. He placed green's detached arm on the stump, then passed his free hand over it. Amazingly, the arm immediately reattached itself. Green stopped screaming, staring in amazement at his hand.

"What, how?" the criminal gasped.

Instead of answering, the man viciously kicked green in the jaw, causing him to spit out a tooth and fall over, groaning.

"Hey!" Shinso snarled, standing and readying his capture weapon. "Sir, I need you to calm down!"

"Mister, I need you and your daughter to step outside," Izuku ordered. "We appreciate your kindness, but the violence is uncalled for."

"I'm sorry. I just got a little carried away is all," the man said, going over to the counter. He set his daughter down on it, then carefully used some napkins to wipe the blood from his hands. "I'll be in the bathroom. I need to wash. Eri, stay here. The heroes will keep you safe."

The little girl nodded, putting her hands in her lap and looking down, clearly still terrified. The man went into the back, and a moment later Izuku heard the sound of running water.

"The heck is up with him?" Shinso grumbled. He glanced at Izuku and shrugged. "Oh well. At least this was an easy one."

"Yeah." Izuku went over to the girl, removing his helmet and tucking it under his arm. He smiled at the girl. "Hey there. I'm Midoriya, the Quirkless Hero, like your dad said. You were very brave, Eri."

Eri suddenly looked up, her eyes wide. Her hair was blue and puffy, a bit like Shinso's actually, but she had a single horn growing out of her head on the right side. Tears filled her eyes, and she suddenly leapt into Izuku's arms.

"Keep me safe," she whispered. "Please."

"Shhh, hey, it's OK," Izuku whispered, giving the girl a gentle squeeze. "You and your dad are alright. The police will be here soon."

"Ok," Eri said, nodding quickly. "I hope I'm helping."

Izuku chuckled. "You were a big help, you and your dad. He really saved me."

"That's good. I want to help you, and be a hero too someday," Eri said.

"Eri? You're not bothering the heroes, are you?" the man asked, coming out of the restroom and pulling on his gloves again.

"She's no trouble at all, sir," Izuku said, handing Eri back to her father. She seemed reluctant to go at first, but with a stern look from him she quickly jumped into his arms. "Thanks again."

"Holy hell, Overhaul?!"

Izuku turned to see an older, somewhat overweight policeman looking at the man, sweat dripping down his face.

"It's Chisaki," the man said firmly. "I'm glad it's you, Wairo. I was a bit worried things could get awkward. I was just out with Eri. She's not been feeling well, and I told her she'd earned a treat for her hard work. Then these idiots tried to rob the store. Thankfully, these brave heroes were nearby. I'm glad I finally got to see the Quirkless Hero in action myself. He's Eri's favorite, you know."

Izuku glanced at the girl, who was wearing long sleeves and pants. He noticed bulges under the sleeves that had to be some sort of bandage. Was she sick, or suffering from a disease? He decided now wasn't the time to ask.

"Yeah, I guess so," the officer said, shaking his head. "Look, you two get in my cruiser. I'll um, handle you myself."

"Thank you," Chisaki said. He paused, extending a gloved hand to Izuku. "Thank you for helping us. I greatly admire your work. It gives me hope for a better world. One where Eri can live in peace."

Eri nodded, tears coming to her eyes. "Don't let the Meta Liberation Army stop you! Their quirks are bad, just like them!"

"I don't think anyone's quirk is bad, Eri," Izuku said gently. "Just how it's used."

"No," Eri huffed, looking away. "Quirks are bad. My quirk is bad. I wish they didn't exist!"

"Shhh, don't say anything else. We'll go with Officer Wairo, and we'll find a way to get your treat. You've been working very hard, and this was a tough day. But daddy will take care of everything," Chisaki promised.

Eri nodded, resting her head on Chisaki's shoulder, silent tears leaking down her face. The policeman took them outside to his waiting cruiser, where he gently put them inside. To Izuku's surprise, the officer drove off after getting in. Maybe Eri had a delicate medical condition and needed to go to the hospital? It wasn't his job to second guess the police, so he didn't worry about it.

A short time later, the rest of the police force arrived, but when Izuku described the incident and the witnesses, the sergeant made a disgusted noise. "You let Wairo take the witnesses? Christ, this is going to be a mess. You say he called this man, Chisaki, Overhaul?"

"Um, yes, is that an issue? He showed his identification and it checked out," Izuku said nervously, giving the sergeant Wairo's badge number.

The Sergeant frowned and scratched at himself irritably. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I'll just have to talk to him later is all."

"What about this Chisaki and his daughter, Eri?" Shinso asked. "Are they an issue?"

"Well the name Overhaul rings a bell, can't recall where though," the sergeant said, shaking his head. "But they seem like they were innocent enough. He just used his quirk to save you and the girl, right? Perfectly natural, but we're gonna have to fill out a ton of paperwork for it. And he put this punks arm back on? Weird, but rendering emergency aid is fine too. Still a bunch of paperwork. Oh well. You two just make sure to fill out the forms we send you, but Endeavor's agency has been pretty good about that lately. Thanks for the help."

With that, Izuku and Shinso headed back out on patrol, heading towards the business district. Stopping the robbery was sadly routine, and simply meant they'd have more forms to fill out when they got back to the agency.

"You get a weird vibe off the girl and her father?" Shinso asked as they walked along the street, watching for further crimes.

"I think Chisaki had some form of OCD or something, he was very bothered by the blood and he wore gloves and a mask," Izuku said. "Eri was sick with something, maybe she has a form of OCD as well?"

"Is that anything like autism?" Shinso asked curiously. "Just wondering, he did remind me a bit of Mei with his little twitches. Did you see how he kept scratching and rubbing at himself?"

"Um, maybe, I don't know much about it," Izuku admitted. "But they seemed nice enough. I wonder why Officer Wairo hauled them off so fast, or why he called Chisaki Overhaul? Maybe he was a former hero?"

"I've never heard of him. I thought you were the expert on obscure heroes," Shinso said.

"Even I don't know every hero and sidekick that's in Japan, or even in Tokyo, there's hundreds of them," Izuku said. "He seemed to have a powerful quirk though, I wonder why he's not active anymore?"

"That's above my paygrade," Shinso laughed, then pointed to a ramen stand. "Hey, let's stop there and grab a bite to eat. I'm starving."

"Sure," Izuku agreed. They had a pleasant visit with the stand owner, Izuku signing an autograph for his daughter, and chatting with him and the other customers. Endeavour encouraged Izuku and the other interns to take time to socialize with the civilian populace, making themselves more affable and personable. They listened to a few complaints, but the business district mostly had to worry about white collar crime, which wasn't something heroes got involved in.

They were just about to leave, when Shinso suddenly froze. He was watching a man walk into one of the businesses, his eyes wide. Izuku was about to ask what the problem was, when Shinso quickly turned away.

"Hari, do we have access to the information from the phone we retrieved from the raid," Shinso asked as he hurried along the sidewalk, Izuku having to jog to keep up.

"Sure, what were you looking for?" Hari asked.

"Do a search for the numbers 19 dash 2000," Shinso said quickly.

"Huh, that number keeps popping up in the phone's records, but we're not sure what it means," Hari replied.

Shinso shook his head, grimacing. "It's the address for the headquarters of Feel Good Inc. Street 19, building number 2000. Weren't we having a hard time tracking the MLA's communications? If they were using Feel Good's network, we'd never find a trace of them, they'd obscure it."

"Well, that's not really proof," Hari said slowly. "But we could investigate."

"I just saw a goon identical to one of the ones we fought inside the laundromat, one of the ones who melted since they'd been made with a replication quirk. He walked into Feel Good Inc. I think this could blow the case wide open."

"Alright. You two get back here. I'll call up Endeavor. This could be big for us," Hari said excitedly. "We'll see if we can find any more references to Feel Good Inc on that phone."

Izkuku and Shinso both broke into a rapid trot, heading towards Endeavor's headquarters.

"We just might nail Re-Destro and take down the MLA once and for all," Shinso said, his tombstone grin predatory. "Feel Good Inc would be just the sort of money and influence the MLA could hide behind. We'll do just Endeavor said. We'll burn them out."


	47. Gussied Up

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_47\. Gussied Up_

"_That proves you are unusual, and I am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed."_

_-Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz_

"How certain are you?" Endeavor demanded, his flames flickering in the dim light of the conference room.

Everyone from Class 1A had been called in, even those who had been off duty for the day. They were once more all crowded into the conference room, along with Mei, Hari, Burnin, and Mr. Aizawa. Behind Endeavor, the information from the retrieved phone, along with the new data Shinso had collected and a picture of Feel Good Inc were projected onto the wall.

"As certain as we can be," Shinso answered from where he was standing beside the projector. "We retrieved images from security cameras in the area. The same man shows up again and again."

Shinso pointed to the picture of the dark haired man with the protruding brow and thick lips. "He's frequently seen around the offices of Feel Good Inc, often in the company of the CEO, Tomoyasu Chikazoku. His quirk is known as Anthropromorph, it lets him turn objects into a look alike of a person. This seems to be his base model, he often uses them as helpers. Two were helping Iceman move the drugs into the Laundromat drophouse. It's not a slam dunk, but…"

"But it might be enough to get us a warrant if I use my back channels," Endeavour said with a nod. "But we're only going to have one shot. Feel Good Inc is a large, successful company, and Chikazoku is a wealthy man. He has friends in the government. If this gets too widely known, someone will alert him and by the time we get there, he'll have hidden all evidence. We'll get nothing."

"Which is why we have to move now!" Shinso argued. "We can't delay; every moment we do, the MLA grows stronger, or has time to realize they're compromised!"

"I believe you, and I agree," Endeavor said, standing. "Everyone, get ready to move. I'll have the warrant, one way or another, and without police involvement. We can't risk this leaking."

"Is that going to be legal?" Aizawa demanded. "I refuse to allow you to involve my class in what would amount to a vigilante raid."

"It will be above board, and if anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility," Endeavor declared. "Remember, I'm the loose canon, the man people fear. But this is a chance for your students to truly become the Pillars of Peace, and remove one of the most dangerous criminal and political groups in the nation."

"We have to go after them!" Mei declared. "These are the people who hurt Hari and want to kill Izuku! We can't let them get away!"

Aizawa hesitated for only a fraction of a second, but then nodded. "Very well. I'll be accompanying you this time, however. This could turn bloody. I suggest we call in other agencies."

"No time for it, and besides, we don't know if there are other heroes who might belong to the MLA," Endeavor said with a shake of his head. "We'll have my sidekicks along as well. Or do you think that 50 of us won't be enough to take on this challenge?"

"Ah come on Mr. Aizawa," Kirishima said, grinning widely. "We can handle this! We've fought the MLA a couple of times now. Heck, Izuku and some of the others even fought Iceman and won!"

Aizawa nodded, leaning forward and resting his arm on the table. "True. But if this is to be the headquarters of the MLA, we're going to face heavy resistance. You're all aware of what the price of failure, and even success, can be. What do you all think?"

"I'm for wasting the bastards, but I suppose my vote doesn't count," Hari said with a sigh.

"Your vote totally counts," Ashido declared. "We're in, right guys?"

"We have to stop the Meta Liberation Army," Izuku agreed. "Those drugs are dangerous, and they've already proven they're willing to attack us. It's time for us to stop them before anyone else gets hurt!'

"Very well. I suppose I shouldn't have expected any other answer," Aizawa said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "When do we strike?"

"At 10:00 hours when we'll know where Chikazawa is," Endeavour answered. "Everyone get a good night's rest tonight. I'll secure our warrant. Dismissed."

Izuku stood with the others, looking to Mei, who had a determined expression on her face as she grabbed his arm. "I'm going to make sure the Ultra Amor is prepped and ready! We'll take out those MLA jerks and make sure they never hurt anyone ever again!"

Izuku nodded, feeling both excited and nervous as he always did before these big missions. "Yeah. We've fought the MLA a few times now, but we can finally stop their boss. With him out of the way, this will all finally be over. Hey, let's get something to eat together before we start on our preparations."

"Ok, I like the coffee in the cafeteria," Mei agreed.

Izuku hesitated, then shook his head. "I was thinking...maybe we could go somewhere else? Somewhere you know, nice?" He blushed, feeling nervous. "You know, like a date. It's...well, it's been a little while since we did anything special."

"We do special things all the time!" Mei protested. "Like make super cute babies!" She paused though, considering. "Normally I do not like restaurants. But going to one with you sounds like it would be fun. Yes, we should go on a date."

"If you're doing that sis, make sure you wear something nice, and not just those dirty overalls," Hari said, apparently having been eavesdropping on their conversation. That made Izuku blush, but he didn't mind too much. He was a bit proud of himself for thinking of taking Mei somewhere nice.

"Well I'm not wearing a dress," Mei declared. "Dresses are dumb. But maybe I should put on makeup. Would you like that, Izuku?"

That comment made Izuku go bright red, which made Hari laugh. "I think he would! Come on sis, I'll help you out. You're about my size anyway. We'll get you all dolled up."

"I am not a doll! Wait, was that a metaphor? Does that mean make me pretty? Hmph. Izuku! I expect you to look nice too! I will make sure to ask Hari if you do!"

With that, Mei followed Hari out of the conference room, leaving Izuku standing there feeling a bit confused. He wasn't certain what to do in a situation like this, having never really taken a girl out before. He knew normally boys were supposed to talk to their fathers in times like this, but he really didn't feel comfortable calling his father. Besides, with the time differential he was likely to be asleep anyway.

An idea struck Izuku, and he took out his phone. Nervously, he selected a number from his contacts and dialed it.

"Hatsume," a gruff voice said from the otherside.

"H-h-hi, um, dad," Izuku managed.

"Izuku? What's going on? You don't normally call like this," Mr. Hatsume said.

"I, um, I need some advice. And, well, this is kinda awkward, but I don't know who else to ask," Izuku admitted.

"Oh? Well, I've told you to come to me if you needed anything, son. So ask away."

"I, er, I want to take Mei out on a date, but, um, I don't know how to get ready for one," Izuku admitted.

There was a pause from the other end, then a bark of laughter. "Never thought I'd see the day someone asked me for advice on taking out my own daughter! No, don't be embarrassed, I understand, son. Hell, I remember my first date back in highschool. I was so nervous I thought I'd puke. Where are you at?"

"Endeavor's Agency. We've got the night off. There's um, well, you'll see tomorrow," Izuku told him. "But it's important, and I wanted to do something special for Mei."

"Got it. I'll be over in a flash. I take it Hari's helping out Mei?"

"Yeah, um, she said I needed to look nice too."

"No worries. I'll just let Nori know we're closing up early, family event. Hang tight, I'll be there in 20 minutes or so."

Izuku changed into some street clothes, going to sit on the curb and waiting nervously. Mr. Hatsume pulled up in his car, and Izuku hopped in.

"Well, I take it you don't exactly have any fancy clothes?" Mr. Hatsume asked as they pulled away.

"Um, no sir," Izuku admitted. "Most of my old clothes don't fit anymore anyway. N-not because of my arm! I'm just, well, I've gotten a lot bigger in the past couple of months."

"Happens at your age," Mr. Hatsume observed. "Right. Well, I'll be the first to admit I don't know the first thing about fashion. But I think I can help you out a bit anyway. We'll at least make you presentable. Besides, Hari and Mei ain't exactly the most fashion conscious ladies anyway."

"That is true," Izuku agreed, smiling to himself. "Mei said she wasn't wearing a dress."

"Heh. Nori was never a big fan of those either, and her girls inherited her tastes it seems. But I'm sure they'll fix up something special anyway."

Together, Izuku and Mr. Hatsume went to the mall to one of the more trendy stores, where they fumbled around for an outfit for an hour or so. They ended up going with slacks, a button down shirt and tie, leather belt, and glossy black shoes. Mr. Hatsume also helped Izuku pick out some cologne, and they stopped at a hairdresser for a quick trim. By the time they were done with all that, it was nearly 7:00, and Izuku sent Mei a text asking if she was ready.

"Yes, Hari says I am ready. Where shall we meet?"

Izuku sent Mei the address of a nice restaurant that served traditional japanese food near Endeavor's headquarters. Mr. Hatsume took Izuku to a store to pick up some flowers.

"She might not admit it, but even Mei has a soft spot for pretty things," Mr. Hatsume told Izuku. "Even her mother likes a nice bouquet every now and then."

Izuku picked out a small one, half wondering if Mei would try to eat them or use them as fuel for one of their babies.

At the restaurant, Mr. Hatsume got out of the car to straighten Izuku's tie. He'd had to look up an internet tutorial to manage it, having rarely put one on himself, but they'd figured it out together. He smiled, then hugged Izuku. "You're a good man, son. And I know you care about Mei. Have fun tonight. But not too much fun, you hear? Or something like that."

"Um, yes sir," Izuku agreed. Then he squeezed a little harder. "And thank you. I...I never had someone to help me with things like this before."

"You do now. No matter what happens, you're family, you hear? Now I'd best be gone before the ladies arrived."

Izuku waved as Mr. Hatsume drove off, feeling as though he'd swallowed a pill full of live bugs that were now crawling around in his stomach. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long, as Hari drove up with Mei only a minute later.

"Your princess has arrived, o gallant knight," Hari said, giving Izuku a sweeping bow and opening the rear door. Mei never liked riding in the front of the car, even when it was an option.

When Mei stepped out, Izuku's breath caught. She had her hair done up in a french braid, and was wearing light makeup for her eyes, cheeks, and lips. She was also wearing a formal blouse and skirt, though she did have on shorts underneath. She was even carrying a large fashionable purse, the first time Izuku had ever seen her do so. She walked over to Izuku, taking his tie in her hands and carefully inspecting it.

"Hmm. Yes, you do look nice." Then she kissed Izuku, her lips pressing against his as she molded herself to him.

When Izuku finally caught his breath, he managed to smile. "You look great too, Mei. You're beautiful."

Hari sniffed, then smiled at them. "You two have fun. Don't stay out too late, text when you need a ride back." With that, she left, leaving Izuku and Mei alone.

They walked into the restaurant, where a waitress in a traditional kimono bowed and showed them to a small private room. Izuku hadn't had to do more than mention who he was to secure a private dining area; apparently that was one of the perks of being a famous hero.

Menus were brought, and Izuku nervously studied them, wondering what to order. Mei stared at hers as well, frowning and humming to herself.

"Is there anything you want to try?" Izuku asked, the page seeming to swim before him. He shouldn't be nervous, he was with Mei, but he really wanted to make this day special for her. She'd clearly taken the time to dress up, even though he knew she didn't like to.

"I do not know. I do not know what most of this is!" Mei complained. "What is kobe beef? How is it different from regular beef?!"

"Um, it's supposed to be really good. Maybe we should just order that?" Izuku said, desperately clinging to something to order. "You like beef, don't you?"

"Yes. We can get beef, and rice. I like that," Mei agreed.

They placed their orders, and Izuku shifted nervously wondering what to do or say. This was a real date, shouldn't they talk about something special?"

"Do you think you will need your flamethrower tomorrow?" Mei asked. "I am still not happy with how much space the fuel takes up."

"Um, no, that was because we were fighting Iceman last time," Izuku said, his mind being pulled out of its panic by the familiar subject. "I think we'll need extra capture foam though. We'll be indoors, so we can't use anything that could cause a lot of collateral damage. No missiles, I think."

"Hmm. What if I modified Denki's old device to make a taser for you?" Mei said, tapping her finger on the table. "It wouldn't cause much damage but you could use it to incapacitate the bad guys."

"Yes! I bet if we modified the grapple launcher that would work really well! Is the capture foam conductive?" Izuku wondered, getting caught up in the conversation at last.

They talked animatedly about their ideas for new gear, which was a fairly normal topic of conversation for them. Their food arrived, and Izuku and Mei continued to chat and eat.

"How's the kobe beef?" Izuku asked, trying to remember to make normal polite conversation.

"It is good. But what if we could make a sonic grenade for you? That wouldn't cause too much collateral damage right?" Mei demanded.

Izuku was soon lost in the conversation again, until he noticed a strange clicking sound. "Do you hear that?" he asked, looking around.

Mei frowned, tilting her head to one side. "Hear what? The person taking pictures of us?"

Izuku went beat red. "What?"

"There is a person taking pictures of us, I saw them when the waitress opened the door," Mei explained. "They must have a special camera that can see through these thin walls."

"What?!" Izuku stood, throwing open the door. He was just in time to see the door to the room across from their slide shut. Angry, Izuku shoved the door open, exposing a woman with a large camera and a recorder.

"You can't come in here!" she gasped, shrinking back. "I paid for this room!"

"You're spying on us!" Izuku accused, feeling as though someone had seen him and Mei naked, and being both embarrassed and enraged. "Who do you work for? The MLA, or the League?"

"What?!" Mei gaspsed. She reached into her purse and pulled out a bulbous device that resembled a super soaker. With a start, Izuku realized it was a handheld flamethrower. "Bad guys?! I am ready! You won't take me or Izuku again!"

"I'm a reporter!" the woman half shrieked, going pale. "I'm a reporter for the Hero Digest Daily! I'm not a villain!" She pulled out an ID card and thrust it at Izuku, her hand trembling.

There was the sound of pounding feet, and the waitress and a woman in a formal suit Izuku assumed to be the manager ran up, looking worried themselves.

"Stay back!" Mei ordered, pointing her flamethrower at them. "I won't let you hurt Izuku!"

"Mei, I don't think they're villains," Izuku sighed, stepping back and putting his hand on her shoulder. "I, um, I think this woman is just paparazzi. Hero Digest Daily is a tabloid."

"Why do I care if she likes pizza or makes tables, or whatever that is?" Mei demanded, but she lowered her weapon.

"I am so sorry Mr. Midoriya, Ms. Hatsume. I did not realize this woman was a reporter," the manager said. "Forgive us, our establishment usually takes better care of our patrons, especially those famous heroes who visit us."

After a hasty apology, the reporter left, and the manager gave Izuku and Mei a complimentary dessert of mochi, which satisfied Mei at least. After some more apologies on both sides, Izuku and Mei left, but no sooner did they exit the restaurant than bright lights flashed in their faces. Apparently, only one reporter had been bold or clever enough to sneak into the restaurant, but a pack of them was waiting outside.

Izuku panicked, grabbing Mei and shoving her behind him as he raised his right arm, activating the laser. There was a cry of panic from the reporters, and Izuku realized what he was doing, sheepishly lowering his arm. Even as they backed away, some of the reporters shouted questions at Izuku and Mei. Mei tried to berate them, but she was shouted down, microphones and cameras shoved in their face.

"Come on Izuku!" Mei cried, grabbing him and hurrying away from the reporters, who pursued them for a short distance before they managed to escape them down a back alley. Mei led Izuku down several twisting alleys, dodging between narrow dimly lit streets cluttered with refuse and seedy buildings. Izuku was almost immediately lost, but he'd long ago learned that Mei had a nearly uncanny sense of direction, and followed after her. A part of him thought what they were doing was dangerous, going through unlit backstreets in what was rapidly becoming the less nice part of town, and the other part of him pitied the idiot who tried to cause trouble for two teens with lasers, flamethrowers, and only God knew what else Mei was carrying in her purse.

After nearly 20 minutes of running, Izuku suddenly realized he knew where they were: back in Mustafu. As if by magic, Mei turned another bend and there was Coruscant Comics, the sign a beacon of familiarity in the confusing world. Without a word, Mei led Izuku to the door and pushed it open.

"Hello! I am Mei Hatsume, and I require more bad movies," Mei stated as she strode inside.

With a start, Mr. Azara looked up from the counter. "Hatsume? Midoriya? What are you doing here? Good lord, you're both a mess, what happened?"

Izuku took a moment to study himself and Mei. His clothes were grimy and sweat stained after having to wiggle through fences and splashing through muddy puddles, and his tie was draped over one shoulder. Mei's makeup was smudged and running, and her hair was rapidly escaping from her braid, and her skirt was torn from when they'd climbed over a chain link fence. Neither of them looked like they had dressed up for a date, but more like they were escaped lunatics from an asylum.

Grinning awkwardly and trying to straighten his tie, Izuku managed, "Um we're on a date. There were, um, reporters. I...I got kind of nervous, and Mei got us away from them after I sort of threatened them with my laser."

"The paparazzi out to get you huh? They've sniffed around here a few times, but I don't think there's any about. That's what Thunderfury is for." Mr. Azara pulled out a giant foam sword with two blades like a tuning fork, setting it before Mei and Izuku.

Koji stuck his head in from the game room. "Did someone say-"

"It's not funny Koji, go back to your draft," Mr. Azara ordered.

With a huff, Koji disappeared again, muttering under his breath.

"I do not think that would make a very good weapon," Mei said, taking the toy sword and inspecting it. "Even if it were made out of metal, the structural integrity would be compromised by the twin bladed structure, and it is too large to be useful to a person. Maybe if the handle is longer it could be a polearm but as it is I do not think you should use this in combat. I could make you a much better weapon, or you could borrow one of mine! I brought extra."

Before either Mr. Azara or Izuku could protest, Mei dumped her purse out on the counter. As Izuku had suspected, she did not have the typical female accoutrements, but several small tools, a radio, the flamethrower, what looked like a taser, several grenades, and a smoke bomb.

"I, er, I think I'll be alright," Mr. Azara managed faintly. "That's just a joke. I'm more reliant on heroes like the two of you. You ah, should keep those for yourself and Izuku. I don't have a license for actual weapons."

"Ok, but if you change your mind let me know," Mei said, and scooped all of her gear back into the purse. Izuku half wondered how heavy it was and how it all fit, but decided it would best not to pry.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Azara put away Thunderfury and managed to smile. "I believe you said you needed more bad movies?"

"Yes. Preferably in Japanese, but I am currently trying new things so if they are in English I am willing to take them," Mei answered.

"Well, I've already given you two some Batman movies," Mr. Azara mused. "One moment."

He disappeared into the back, and Mei took Izuku's hand in hers, happily humming to herself.

"Um, Mei, thanks for helping me back there," Izuku said quietly. "I sort of panicked when I saw all the reporters there. I guess...I guess I didn't think that us going on a date together would be such a big deal."

"They were very rude," Mei huffed. "We did not invite them on our date. Do not worry, Izuku. I will deal with the reporters. I know you do not like it when you have to talk to them."

"Sorry our date was ruined," Izuku said, cringing slightly. He had so wanted tonight to be special…

"It is not ruined!" Mei declared, smiling at Izuku. "We will do what we did on our first date: we will get a bad movie and go to your house and watch it together. That was fun, and I like remembering it."

Izuku blinked. "I guess...I guess I should call my mom?"

"Maybe, I do not know. Does she like surprises?" Mei asked.

"No. Definitely not." Izuku quickly sent his mother a text message, and she quickly replied that she would be thrilled to have them over again, and that she wanted to see how cute Mei looked.

Izuku winced. While he thought Mei always looked cute, there was no denying that they were both currently a bit bedraggled.

"Here you go!" Mr. Azara said, coming in from the backroom with an old DVD case. "Iron Man: Rise of Technovor! It's not the worst movie ever made, but I personally think it's pretty bad. And best of all, it's in Japanese, just for you Hatsume."

"Yes!" Mei cheered. "I do not like English!" She took the case then bowed. "Thank you very much! How much is it?"

"Considering all the business you two bring in? Sign these two figures for me and we'll call it a deal. I can charge a mint for them!" Mr. Azara exclaimed, offering Izuku and Mei each a figurine of themselves and a sharpie.

Mei quickly checked the eyes of her figurine, removing the small goggles. They were plain and brown, and the sight of them made Izuku feel melancholy. For a moment, he thought Mei would cry, her expression was so pained. But then she nodded, replacing the goggles and scrawling her signature on the toy. "That is good: it is who I am now."

Mr. Azara eagerly took the signed figurines, placing them in special displays. "You kids have fun! And come back any time!"

It was only a short train ride back to Izuku's old apartment. Thankfully, no one on the nearly empty train recognized them, which wasn't surprising given their current state. Inko was delighted to see both of them, making a fuss over Izuku and Mei and taking several photos before she allowed them to sit and start up the movie.

While once Izuku might have found Rise of Technovor entertaining, with his new found knowledge of just how hero work went and Mei's more intimate understanding of the supposed technology showcased in the film, they had plenty to mock. Inko popped popcorn and served up energy drinks and coffee, smiling and dabbing at her tears of joy.

Even though he was certain his and Mei's clothes were ruined and they hadn't done anything to endear themselves to the press, Izuku smiled as he sat with Mei, their arms wrapped around one another. It had been a special date, and it had been so in their own way. Tomorrow was another day, but for now, Izuku treasured the moment.


	48. Jousting Windmills

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_48\. Jousting Windmills_

_You won't get undercounted 'cause you're damned and free_

_You got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style_

_A melancholy town where we never smile_

_And all I wanna hear is the message beep_

_-Gorillaz, Feel Good Inc_

Nervously, Izuku glanced at the paper on Burnin's desk, then immediately looked away blushing, and tried to leave before she noticed him. Too late.

"Hey! Izuku! Boss wants to talk to you," Burnin said, glancing up from her paper. She grinned wickedly, pointing to the picture of him. He was panicked, had Mei half behind him, and had raised his arm, palm up, pointing it directly at the camera so that it looked down the emitter of his laser. "Nice."

Izuku tried to smile, and hurried away to Endeavor's large office. He knocked nervously at the large, ornate wooden door.

"Enter!" Endeavor roared, and Izuku quickly opened the door and stepped inside.

Endeavor looked up from his computer, frowning at Izuku. "Sit."

Feeling about three inches tall, Izuku sat down in the chair in front of Endeavor's desk, nervously twiddling his thumbs. It was an odd sensation, as he could only feel one of them, but felt as though both were moving.

"I take it you've seen this," Endeavor stated, turning his monitor around so Izuku could see the browser tab he had open. It was nearly the same picture as the one Burnin had been looking at, though from a slightly different angle.

"Um, yes," Izuku admitted.

"Hmph. Well, I'm not going to yell at you, if that's what you thought," Endeavor said, sighing. He stood, coming around the desk and crouching to put a hand on Izuku's shoulder, causing him to go rigidly still. "Look, you're in a hard situation. Most heroes don't have to deal with the celebrity aspect of the job until much later in their careers, and by then they know how to handle having every aspect of their lives gone over with a fine toothed comb."

"I know I didn't react right," Izuku mumbled. "I just-I was surprised, and scared, and nervous, and...and I don't handle the cameras very well."

"Well, then you've got the right teacher," Endeavor grunted. He reached over and grabbed another chair, pulling it next to Izuku. "I've had to deal with the paparazzi myself, and as you may know, I am not the most...amenable...person."

"You um, you put one in the hospital, right?" Izuku asked, wincing. "On your wedding day."

Endeavor's expression darkened. "Yes. And that son of a bitch deserved it. Of all the nerve...I'm half convinced that's the reason Rei hated me. To see her like that, and then to have me burn the man...I still stand by my reasoning that he was a villain."

Izuku nodded. The images of Rei Todoroki, half naked with her husband in the honeymoon suite, and moments later of an enraged Endeavor's flames rushing towards the peeping tom reporter were well known, though Izuku had personally avoided ever looking at them for the simple fact it felt crude to look at such lewd images. He was grateful for that now that he knew Endeavor and Shoto.

"Anyway. At least you handled it better than I did. But next time, though I know you'll hate to hear it, tell us when you're going on a date. You need an escort. They'll have orders not to interfere with any romantic acts, but to keep the press off your backs."

Izuku flushed. "We um, we're not, we ah, we keep it at first base."

"I don't care," Endeavor informed him. "If you two want to start screwing in the break room, condoms are in the medical station. I've told your classmates the same thing."

"What?" Izuku stammered.

"If you need to blow off a little steam, you can pick much worse ways. Just know, the world is always watching. You will never, ever have another moment of privacy. It hasn't really sunk in yet, because ever since Kamino you've either been at school, here, or on the job. But you'll never again have a truly private moment. Someone is always watching. Everything you do, every word you say, every post you make online, will be analyzed, followed, and misinterpreted. My PR people are playing this off as a result of you being young and caught in an intimate moment. So far, people seem to be siding with you against the reporters, but that can change."

"Um, thanks," Izuku said, looking up. "I... I guess I thought you'd be angry."

"Oh, I am," Endeavor growled, his flames flaring up. "But not at you. Those vultures are a plague upon society. If I had my way, it would be open season on them."

Endeavor's words made Izuku flinch, and he suddenly remembered that this man, who had been so kind to them in the past months, was the same one who had systematically beaten Class 1A into submission. Although he was trying to change, Endeavor was still the ruthless and feared juggernaut of justice.

"I don't like the reporters much either, but I don't want to hurt them," Izuku mumbled.

Endeavor sighed and rested his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "And that's why I have such hope for Shoto and the rest of you. You're far kinder and more understanding than I ever was. More like All Might than me. And that's a good thing. Though, perhaps your trust is slightly misplaced at times. Your arrest yesterday, what do you know about it?"

"Um, we had to fill out a lot of paperwork for it," Izuku answered. "And, you know, I shot that villain in the arm with my laser, but he did recover."

Endeavor nodded. "And what about the witness, Chisaki? What do you know him?"

"He went with that police officer, Wairo. It seemed odd, but his badge checked out. I just figured he was concerned about Chisaki and his daughter, they seemed to know one another," Izuku said.

"They do. But not for a good reason. Wairo wasn't following protocol, you know that. What else do you know?" Endeavor demanded.

Izuku thought back, running through the situation in his mind. "Er, the Sergeant seemed upset about the situation, but I thought it was an internal matter. Should I have tried to hold the suspect?"

"You should have checked in with my support staff or the police dispatch to ensure the situation was above board. It wasn't. Kai Chisaki is Yakuza captain, and that girl isn't his daughter, though he is her guardian," Endeavor told Izuku. "It's probably nothing, but next time, follow protocol. It's there for a reason. I did some digging, and Wairo's got connections to the Shie Hassaikai, the yakuza group that Chisaki's in. He's been investigated by the police's internal affairs division, and the dispatcher would likely have told you to hold Chisaki."

"Oh. I guess...I screwed up, huh?" Izuku asked, looking down.

"You did, but we all do that, especially when we're as green as you are. Next time you encounter an unusual situation like that, call in. That's why my support staff is here. But anyway, are you ready for today?"

Izuku nodded, his expression going grim. "Yes sir. I'll do better this time."

"That's what I needed to hear," Endeavor said, standing. "Go get ready. We're mobilizing in just under three hours."

Hurrying down to the Support Bay, Izuku found Mei putting the finishing touches on the Power Suit. Since the majority of this confrontation would take place indoors, it made more sense to bring the smaller suit, and though it lacked the durability and firepower of the larger model it was far more agile and maneuverable in tight spaces. Mei would be nearby with the Ultra Armor just in case, along with her control center for the drones. She would be reliant predominately on Jiro and Izuku for a real time image of the building, as Feel Good Inc was a communications company and was shielded from outside prying eyes. Presumably that was to prevent corporate espionage, but Izuku had a feeling it was for far more sinister reasons now.

"Hey Izuku!" Mei said, waving eagerly. "Our babies are ready to go! You're going to kick the MLA's butt!"

"I hope so," Izuku said, giving her a quick hug and kiss. "And Mei...I had a good time last night. Even if those reporters sort of ruined things for a little while, it was fun going on an adventure with you."

"Yes, and this time, no one even tried to kill us! And the movie was very bad, ha! The Power Suit is much better than Tony Stark's silly toy."

"That's because you're smarter and prettier than he ever could be," Izuku said with a grin.

"I am definitely smarter, but he is a boy so he cannot be pretty so that is not fair," Mei declared.

"Mon cheri, ai am offended at such a statémont. Do you not think zat ai am prettay?" Aoyama protested. He was in the support bay as well, getting his laser belt checked one last time before the mission.

"Well, you're a girl, so you can be pretty too," Mei told him.

Izuku was momentarily torn between uttery horror and hilarity, but Aoyama's aghast expression tipped him over to the hilarity side of things and he laughed so hard he could barely breathe.

Aoyama puffed himself up, looking more like a frog that even Tsu did most of the time. "Ai assuré you zat ai am most decided-lee maile! Mon dieu, we 'ave known each othair fair zo long, 'ow could you think ai was femaile? If you evair tiyaire of zis chukleng charlatan you call a boyfriend, ai shall show you why we francais are known as la whirld's prémiair lovairs!"

"But then why does everyone call you Princess Sparkles, Yuga?" Mei asked, clearly baffled. "Princesses are girls."

"Eet eez bécausé zey aré jéahlous of 'ow much ai sparklé! Zey mak zeir seeh-lee joks to disguize 'ow dull zéir wits are!" Aoyama huffed, glaring at Izuku who was still clutching his stomach and giggling.

"Oh." Mei considered this. "Well, I am sorry I thought you were a girl. But that does mean you can't be pretty."

"Ai réject yur éntiquated vius," Aoyama said, tilting his chin up to look down his long nose at Mei. "Clairly, you are not ready fair la revelashé-on of la beautay zat eez moi."

"Well I'll just ask Izuku then. Izuku, is Aoyama pretty?" Mei asked.

That only brought on another fit of giggles, and Izuku quickly shook his head.

Giving an exaggerated shrug, Aoyama turned away. "Hmph. Ai am surroundéd by uncultuaird barbarians."

With that, he flounced off, putting a little something extra in his walk that made Izuku snigger even more.

"He is very strange. I do not understand foreigners," Mei said with a shake of her head. "It is because their languages are silly and do not make sense, it makes them think oddly."

"I'll have to remember to discuss that with Yuga the next time I see him," Izuku said, managing to catch his breath. "I'm sure Tsunotori would have something interesting to say about that as well."

"Who, the horse girl from 1B?" Mei asked. "Is she foreign?"

"She's American," Izuku explained.

Mei nodded seriously. "I see. She must be very strange. American's speak English. I hope she has learned a proper language like Japanese, or C++."

"Personally I prefer Python," Izuku said. "Your C++ always confuses me."

"Well, that is why I let you program our babies, even if your code is too complicated sometimes," Mei said. "At least you understand my code, everyone else always thought it shouldn't work."

Izuku forebared to mention that Mei's programming skills often resulted in smoke, flame, and fire, but then again she might just take that as a compliment. She was incredibly gifted as a mechanical engineer and inventor, but the finer points of programming escaped her at times.

They spent the next few hours going over both the Power Suit and their classmates' gear. Everyone had at least some specialized equipment, from Bakugo's sweat storage tanks to Yaoyorozu's snacks and component manual. With that done, Izuku put on the Power Suit and his combat arm with Mei's assistance.

For this mission, they had repainted it with urban warfare camo patterns of steel grey, brown and a charcoal black. The modules they loaded into the suit were the capture foam nozzle, laser, grapple, and TASER. Izuku also had several grenades magnetically attached to his belt, a mixture of flashbangs and capture foam. Izuku also had his advanced radar, communications, and sensor packages, as for this mission he wasn't taking a frontline combat role, but instead focusing on supplying information and assisting in capturing potential high value targets.

An hour before they deployed, the team met in the conference room. With all of Endeavor's sidekicks and the entire class, it was standing room only, and Izuku found himself standing towards the front with Mei. Endeavor stood at the front, his flames roaring brightly as he looked around the room.

"We now stand ready to take out the MLA, once and for all. We'll have to move fast to prevent any of them from destroying evidence or fleeing the scene. Our top priority is to capture Tomoyasu Chikazoku. Hari Hatsume has already verified that he is on the premises, though where exactly we are not certain."

"What about our warrant?" Aizawa demanded. "We're covered?"

"We have permission to search the area and arrest anyone associated with the MLA," Endeavor stated.

"That sounds somewhat vague," Aizawa said, frowning. "Will that hold up against Feel Good's legal team?"

"When we get our definitive proof that Chikazoku is the leader of the MLA, or at least one of its high ranking members, that won't matter," Endeavor replied. "Or are you going to try to back out of this?"

Aizawa was silent for a long moment, and Izuku held his breath. At least, the teacher shook his head. "No. This is too important. But we'd best be careful. I don't want anyone starting any fights. Uraraka, keep a collar on Bakugo."

"Who the hell's gonna keep a collar on her then?" Bakugo grumbled.

"I trust you at least have the good sense not to want her to get into trouble," Aizawa said evenly.

"Um, you got it, Mr. Aizawa!" Uraraka promised, blushing slightly. "I won't punch anybody first."

"Just as long as you punch last," Endeavor stated. "Remember, we need prisoners, and it's best if we handle this with a minimum of violence. But if they start trouble, make damn sure you finish it. Move out."

"Yes sir!" the sidekicks chorused, and Class 1A echoed them.

"Right kiddies, I'm with you again!" Burnin told them as the other sidekicks filed out. "We're going to blaze a trail right in there! The boss wants Shoto and Midoriya with him when he goes in, so stick on him! The rest of the sidekicks will be covering each of the building's various exits and some below ground stuff. We think they've probably got an underground backdoor somewhere. Also gotta watch out for any helicopters and stuff like that! Mei! Your drones have weapons?"

"I have air to air and air to ground capabilities," Mei assured her. "I always make sure my babies are super cute."

"That's the kind of cute I can get behind!" Burnin laughed. "Alright, let's load up! We're not going for the stealth approach on this one, so let's kick down some doors and remind everyone who's the Number One Hero Agency!"

Izuku didn't join the others in the vans, instead getting into the truck with Mei and Hari, along with the Ultra Armor.

"Hope we don't have to use you today," Izuku said, giving the mecha an affectionate pat. "Hopefully your little brother can handle everything this time."

"Wow Izuku, if I didn't know you were a total dork before you even met Mei, I'd say she's rubbing off on you," Hari laughed.

Izuku flushed, realizing he'd left his mic on when he'd spoken. "I just, you know, they really are our babies. We spend a lot of time working on them, and they take care of me."

"I told you Izuku is very smart," Mei said with a happy sigh. "He understands. Our babies are important! And don't laugh Hari, I hear you talking to your car all the time!"

"Never said I wasn't a bit of a dork myself," Hari chuckled. "Alright kiddos, we're nearly there. You ready, Izuku?"

"Yes," Izuku agreed.

"Deploying drones!" Mei declared. "Sensors activated! Hmm, just as expected, their building is shielded against electronic monitoring. I'll need you to get inside to boost our signal. I'll keep the drones watching the outside in case anyone tries to escape."

"Got it!" Izuku jumped from the truck as it pulled up alongside the curb by the Feel Good Inc building, jogging to catch up with Endeavor and Shoto as they climbed up the stairs together. Already, Class 1A and the sidekicks were pouring out of their vehicles, hurrying around the building to cordon it off.

Endeavor strode through the doors, causing several employees to gasp and dodge out of his way, while others looked on with undisguised hatred at the three heroes. Izuku looked around nervously, wondering if everyone was an MLA member, or just certain individuals. Surely a company as large as this one had to have a few innocents mixed amidst the criminals?

Inside, the company had a bright, cheery atmosphere, with large comfortable looking yellow couches, primary colored walls with murals of abstract representations of music and communication, and sky blue floor tiles. Endeavor strode up to the main desk, where a young receptionist with blond hair and a brightly colored sun dress smiled at him.

"Good morning sir, how can we help you feel good today?"

"We're here to serve a warrant for the arrest of Tomoyasu Chikazoku," Endeavor said, flashing a signed and sealed document.

"Oh goodness, on what grounds?" the secretary asked, looking shocked.

"Affiliation with the Meta Liberation Army," Endeavor growled. "Where is he?"

"Just one moment. Mr. Chikazoku? The heroes are here about the Meta Liberation Army," the secretary said.

"Oh, is that what they're here about?" a gravelly voice said over an intercom. "Well then, by all means, let us give them a proper welcome."

Behind Izuku, Burnin and the rest of Class 1A began to enter into the building through various exits, looking around and preventing anyone from leaving.

The secretary nodded and smiled again. "Well sirs, I think we'll just have to give you a warm welcome!" And then her jaw suddenly distended, her teeth growing long and sharp at the same time as her nails elongated into claws, and she leapt at Endeavor, snarling.

Endeavor batted her aside with a ball of flames before she could cause any harm, but as he did so the lights suddenly dimmed, red emergency lights flickering on. Shutters on the doors and windows began to slam shut. A steady, thumping bass beat began to play with the sound of marching feet.

_Raise the Flag!_

_The Ranks tightly close,_

_The MLA marches with a calm steady step_

_Take heart in your quirks, brothers and sisters_

_We are the next step of our evolution_

"Dammit!" Shoto growled, raising an ice barrier as another employee launched shards of glass at them. "Why can't anyone ever take the easy way?"

Instead of answering, Izuku called, "Grenade!" and threw one of his flashbangs. The noise and light disoriented several people who'd been running for him, and he sprayed a group down with foam.

"Mei, Mei can you hear me?" he asked over the radio. Nothing. He dashed over to the shutters, activating his laser and cutting a small hole in it. Then he put a communications array into the hole, activating it and turning back to the chaos.

"Signal restored!" Mei said triumphantly. "I don't know what you guys did, but it seems to have made them pretty mad! The sidekicks are fighting against a few dozen people that went crazy as soon as that music came on! They look like normal citizens but when that music started playing they all activated their quirks and attacked!"

"Is this some sort of mind control?" Izuku wondered.

"I don't think so," Shinso answered. "Though it feels quirk enhanced, it's not mind control. Not everyone's attacking us. Some of them are surrendering and look confused, others are just cowering and hiding. I don't think everyone is actually an MLA member, just a good percentage of them."

"Call the police, Mei," Endeavor ordered. "It looks like we have a real battle on our hands. See if you can get in contact with other hero agencies as well."

"Ok, Hari's working on that already," Mei answered. "Kyoka, can you do a sonic scan of the area?"

"Working on it," Jiro grunted. "Give me a second."

Izuku hurried over to help his classmates dispatch the last few resisting MLA members on the ground floor, kicking a man who looked like a large monitor lizard in the gut, then quickly spraying him down with foam.

"I'm going to need reloads on capture foam," Izuku informed Mei. "I'm burning through it quickly."

"Drones will be dispatched with additional supplies," Mei assured him. "One's on its way now."

A moment later, one of the metal shutters exploded inwards, and Izuku hurried over. A quadcopter drone deposited a canister of capture foam and a couple of grenades through the slot, then flew away as Izuku reloaded.

"Mei, I'm scanning now, are you getting this?" Jiro asked, kneeling next to a support beam and sending pulses of sonic waves through the structure.

"Hmm, looks like that stupid music they're playing is interfering a little, but I'm getting at least some information. Izuku, I'm sending the map I'm building to your HUD."

A map icon appeared in the corner of Izuku's visor, and he frowned at it. "Mei, this is nothing like the building blueprints we retrieved from the city archives. Are you sure this is accurate?"

"As positive as I can be with them interfering with my signal," Mei said. "I'm also having to jam their outgoing stuff. They're trying to send out these stupid call to arms things for the MLA to rise up across the world."

"Dammit, I should have known they'd try something like this," Endeavor swore. "Sidekicks, cut all the communications lines and destroy any arrays. They can't be allowed to send those signals!"

"What about those of us inside, should we cut our way out and wait for reinforcements?" Iida asked.

"No, we have to move quickly," Endeavor declared. "Our objective is unchanged. But now, we have a building full of potential hostiles mixed with hostages. This is going to get messy."

"You all knew this wasn't going to be easy," Mr. Aizawa said grimly, looking around the now battle scarred lobby area. "We'll have to split into teams to cover the entire building. Do we know where Chikazoku is?"

"His office is supposed to be located on top floor, but where it actually is we have no idea," Endeavor stated. "We'll have to search room by room. Don't leave anyone unsecured. Use the zip ties, capture foam, and handcuffs to hold them. Don't attack on sight though, everyone could be a hostage."

"Friggin' fantastic," Bakugo growled. "So are they all enemies or friends? I thought I could cut loose here!"

"If you're going to be a liability go out and sit in the van," Endeavor told him. "I'm splitting you into teams of four. Your job is to make your way through the building, searching it for our target. Take down any MLA members on the way. Midoriya, you're with Bakugo, Uraraka, and Shinso. Get moving."


	49. The Face of Evil

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_49\. The Face of Evil_

_What can men do against such reckless hate?_

_-King Theodin, The Two Towers_

"Right, let's go!" Izuku said. He turned and pointed through the red light lobby, over broken glass and panicked civilians. "The nearest stairwell is that way. Bakugo, can you take the lead?"

"Just stay out of my way!" Bakugo laughed. "Come on Uraraka, let's smash some heads!"

"I think maybe we're not supposed to do that unless they start something," Uraraka sighed. "But maybe just knock them out. I think a lot of these people are innocent bystanders but there's no way for us to know."

"I'll brainwash as many as I can to make them docile while we restrain them," Shinso said as they ran for the stairwell. "Izuku, you see anything ahead of us?"

"I don't see anything on my thermal scanner," Izuku told his team. "But this building has all kinds of weird systems and shielding that make it hard for me to use my long range sensors. We're practically blind here."

"Fine by me!" Bakugo barked, kicking open the stairwell door. "Clear!"

"My team will handle the second floor," Iida told Izuku over the radio. "You move up to the 3rd floor, Aizawa and his group are taking the 4th."

"Copy that," Izuku agreed, deploying another communications booster. "Mei, are you reading us?"

"There's a bit of static on the line. I think they're trying to decrypt our communications, Izuku. Don't talk unless you need to," Mei told him.

"Copy, going silent," Izuku said. He shook his head. "If we can't use our radios, that's going to be a big problem."

"Talking is boring anyway," Bakugo laughed, taking up positions to the side of the door on the 3rd floor. He looked to Uraraka, who nodded. Bakugo placed his palms on the door, then slammed them forward, blowing it right off its hinges and out into the hallway.

It's progress was halted when it slammed into a giant mutant type only a meter away from the entrance, his body hulking and stony. He groaned and fell backwards as Uraraka and Bakugo jumped out into the hallway, a few stunned Feel Good employees with makeshift weapons or activated quirks grouped to the sides.

"Quirks are lame!" Shinso shouted as he and Izuku followed, his capture weapon whipping out to wrap up a woman who was glowing with a pale yellow light.

"Establishment goon!" one of the MLA members snarled, then suddenly calmed, laying down on the ground. The others didn't fall for the trick though, and Izuku had to tase one foe while punching another hard enough to throw them into a wall. Bakugo and Uraraka rapidly sorted out five opponents who tried to resist with a flurry of punches, kicks, and explosions.

"They're down," Shinso said, taking out a roll of zip ties and quickly securing several of the groaning MLA members. "Izuku, spray that mutant down before he comes around."

Izuku quickly coated the unconscious stone man and the door that was half wrapped around him in capture foam, while Uraraka and Bakugo slammed open one of the office doors. There were screams of panic from inside.

"Shut up!" Bakugo roared. Izuku stuck his head in to see four cowering employees, all looking terrified. "Get down on the ground! Resist and I'll blow you away!"

"Oh God, what's happening?" a woman wailed as she knelt, looking terrified.

"The Meta Liberation Army runs your company," Uraraka told her, approaching cautiously then zip tying her arms and legs together. "Please remain calm. We're securing the building, but right now we don't have any way to tell who's an MLA member and who's-"

"Back off!" another woman suddenly cried, grabbing a man and putting her hand to his throat. A blade made of crystal sprang out of her arm, it's point drawing a bead of blood from the sobbing man. "I'll kill this quirkless throwback in a heartbeat! Now you slaves of the establishment get the hell out of here if you know what's good for you!"

"Kessho, what are you doing?" the fourth man babbled. "Why are you hurting Higaisha? Please, just listen to these young heroes!"

"Shut up, Yamoto! You're a meta ability traitor! You deserve to die like the rest of them!" Kessho warned. She glared at Bakugou and Uraraka, who were trying to circle around behind her. "I said don't move! One more step and I kill him, then you!"

"That's what you think, you ugly bitch! I'll blow your head off!" Shinso said, his voice sounding gravely like Bakugo's through his modulator. Bakugo immediately started moving his lips as though he were speaking, this being a trick Shinso had practiced with all his classmates.

"Screw you, Demon! I'll-" Kessho's expression went slack, and she let the weeping Higaisha go. Uraraka sprang forward, grabbing her and handcuffing her, then delivering a rabbit punch to the back of Kessho's head. The woman slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh my God, I knew her for years," Yamoto babbled, looking down with bewilderment at his former co-worker. "I never knew. I mean, she talked about the MLA sometimes, but I thought it was all just bluster…"

Shinso stepped up behind Yamoto, handcuffing him and lowering him to the ground slowly. "Sorry. These people look like everyone else. We have no way of knowing who's an insane terrorist and who's just an office worker who made a bad choice in their employer."

"I understand. Please, you have to stop them. My niece is quirkless, and if they had their way they'd kill her," Yamoto said, bowing his head. "Good luck."

In contrast to the calm and accepting Yamoto, Higaisha was frantic when Bakugo tried to restrain him, flailing franticly and screaming, "I'm quirkless, you have to let me go! I'm not with these lunatics, I'm not-"

Bakugo grimaced, holding them man steady, and Uraraka delivered another expert rabbit punch with a sigh. "I don't like doing that, it could seriously harm an innocent like him."

"Better than having him scream and struggle," Shinso said with a shrug. "Izuku, what's our next target?

"There's a lot more offices we need to clear. I can see heat signatures in at least three," Izuku told them.

For the next office, Bakugo blew a small hole in the door, then Izuku tossed in a flashbang. They stormed into the panicked and disoriented office workers, who fought back haphazardly with a telekinesis quirk to throw various furnishings at them, and an odd quirk that caused the other person's skin to flash in a disorienting pattern of light. Izuku sprayed them both down with capture foam, uncertain if they were just panicked or if they were MLA members.

When they moved towards the next door, it burst open, a trail of vines and leaves rushing forth.

"Crap!" Bakugo snarled, using his explosions to ward off the overgrown plantlife. "What is this?"

"Foolish dogs of the corrupt establishment! You trespass on the grounds of the Meta Liberation Army!" a man laughed. "My meta ability shall bind you, and slay the meta traitors and the quirkless throwback!"

"Wow, a plant quirk? That's pretty lame. What, you spend your time growing flowers?" Shinso called, his voice sounding like Bakugo's again.

"Silence fool, I-" the plants suddenly stopped growing, and Izuku used his laser to cut his way through. He found a man standing slack faced with his hands on two decorative plants. Two other workers were tied up with vines looking terrified were tied up with vines, while a fourth that looked like a bear roared and charged at him, claws swinging. They clattered harmlessly off Izuku's suit, and he braced himself, then threw the bear like man to the ground. He tasered the bear, then sprayed it with capture foam. Shinso ordered the plant manipulator away from the topiaries, then bound and restrained him.

"Sorry, but we're going to have to leave you two tied up," Izuku told the frightened bystanders. "We have to secure this floor, but the police and other heroes will be here soon to help."

One nodded while the other struggled and wept, but then Izuku had to move on. In the hall, Uraraka and Bakugo had dealt with five more MLA members that had burst from an office, and were busy securing them as well.

"This place is a damn nightmare," Bakugo growled. "There's hundreds of these idiots. How the hell are we supposed to capture them all?"

"It seems that we rushed in before we fully thought the situation out," Shinso sighed. "I thought it would just be a handful of MLA members, or even just Chikazoku and a few lieutenants. But it seems like half the employees here are MLA goons."

"I guess Chikazoku made sure to mostly hire people sympathetic to his cause," Uraraka agreed. "How the heck are we supposed to ever find him?"

"We say screw it and reduce this place to rubble!" Bakugo snarled. He glared at Izuku. "Anyone else here?"

"I think we've gotten everyone," Izuku said. "Mei, do you read me? Third floor clear. What's our next target?"

"Barely," Mei's voice answered, the line filled with static. "They've given up on hacking our babies and are trying to jam us. Izuku, get to the 7th floor. I'll have a supply drone waiting for you there."

"Let's move then," Shinso said. He bowed to Bakugo. "After you, dog of the establishment."

"Oh shut up," Bakugo muttered. "At least they could turn off that stupid music that keeps playing. It's making me want to kill someone."

"Yeah," Izuku said, gritting his teeth. The verse about purging their lands of the evolutionary dead ends made him want to strangle someone. "Let's end this."

"Wow, are you OK Izuku?" Uraraka asked, sounding concerned. "Are they getting to you?"

Izuku only nodded, and they continued on up the stairwell. This time when Bakugo breached the door, there was no one waiting to ambush them.

"Oh my God," Uraraka gasped, her hand going to her mouth. Izuku felt sick, and Shinso reached out a hand to steady himself. Only Bakugo marched forward.

"We need to cut them down. Then we bury the bastards that did this," Bakugo seethed, looking up at the empty eyes of the man and woman hanging from the ceiling. On their chests, in scarlet ink, were the words, "throwbacks."

Izuku used his laser to cut them both down, with Uraraka gently floating the corpses to the ground. Gingerly, she reached out, closing their eyes, her cheeks wet with tears.

"We, we should call this in," Shinso rasped, wiping his mouth. He'd been vomiting in the corner, and his face had gone nearly chalk white.

Izuku nodded, and forced himself to open a line."Endeavor, we...we found some bodies. I think...I think the MLA killed them, they-" Izuku searched for words, but couldn't come up with anything.

The line was still full of static, but Endeavor managed to respond. "Understood. We're seeing similar situations and hostages here. But the MLA seems to be pulling out to the upper floors. We think they're congregating for a last stand."

"Yes, ok," Izuku agreed, trying to rein in his emotions. They left the bodies behind, but Izuku could still feel there accusing gazes upon him. They swept the area, finding one naked man hiding under a desk with a quirk that let him change his skin color, and two terrified women who had boarded themselves up in an office with a binding quirk.

"Just get out of here," Bakugo ordered them. "You know what will happen if they find you. Get down to the lobby, you'll be safe there."

The civilians fled, scrambling to get away as Izuku's team advanced again up the floors. On the 12th floor, they found a battle raging between a group of desperate survivors and the MLA. Beams of Light, the crash of steel, and the iron stink of blood filled the air. Izuku ignited his hoverboots to drive himself forward as Bakugo used his explosions to keep pace.

It wasn't hard to identify which group was the MLA, as they were singing along to the dark lyrics of the songs being played over the PA system while waving a banner with the MLA emblem on it; a gene double helix in blue and red on a black background. Izuku threw two flashbangs into the mob, causing them to cry out in panic as Bakugo threw himself at them.

"Die you bastards!" he roared. He didn't hold back, unleashing point blank explosions that maimed and bled the attackers, but for good reason. They'd been pulling a man out of a makeshift barricade, flailing him with barbed tendrils of hair and beating him with makeshift weapons.

Uraraka ran to the injured man's side, stooping to administer first aid, before suddenly standing and throwing herself into the melee with a cry of rage. Izuku glanced at him long enough to see the side of his head caved in: he was dead. Filled with fury, Izuku punched one woman hard enough he heard her ribs crack, then tased another woman while kicking a man in the kneecap and shattering it. Within moments, the MLA broke and tried to run, only for Shinso to grab them with his capture weapon. They soon had them all subdued and Izuku went to check on the survivors.

He found one woman, panting and bleeding in the form of a two meter tall reptile. She suddenly reverted to human form, falling down and passing out. Izuku quickly administered what first aid he could.

"Oh thank God you're here," one man wept. "They just suddenly went crazy when that music came on! They demanded if I supported the ideals of the Meta Liberation Army! I didn't know what to say! Then they went after Yoshi, he's a harmless tech, but quirkless. Well I had to do something! So, I mean, I know it's illegal, but I used my quirk. Hit them with a full beam of light, drove them back, burned them. We tried to fight them off, but then more came, and...and I think Enji is dead."

"Carry her down to the lobby," Izuku ordered. "Her wounds are mostly superficial, and it looks like she's got a mild regeneration quirk. Police and EMS should be here by now, they'll help you."

"Why are they doing this?" one stunned woman asked, her face a mask of blood for a scalp wound. "I've got a quirk, I'm not quirkless, why attack me?"

Izuku felt a stab of anger, but forced himself to remain calm. "They're criminals and terrorists. Please, get to safety."

"This is all your fault, isn't it?" the dazed woman asked, looking at Izuku. "You heroes are trying to hold up society, but look at you. You're a bunch of kids, and you set them off. My God, what are we going to do without All Might?"

"It's going to be OK," Uraraka assured her. "We're here to save the day."

"But what about Enji?" the woman asked, sounding hopeless. "We should have just joined them. Then Enji would be alive."

"Don't say crap like that!" Bakugo barked. "You want to know what they did to your quirkless co-workers who didn't have friends to help them? They strung them up and carved quirkless into their flesh! You want to be like that?"

The woman started to weep, turning away and hurrying for the stairwell.

"Thank you," an older man said as he passed. "I'm Yoshi, the quirkless one. Without you heroes...they might have let the others live, but they'd have killed me. Thank you, young man. You're no demon. You're a saint."

"Hmph," Bakugo snorted, but Izuku could tell that the words had affected Bakugo. "Come on. There's others we have to save."

The next floor they covered was eerily empty, the only sound the ever present pounding bass of the looping song extolling the virtues of the Meta Liberation Army and how it would make everyone free to use their quirks.

"Yeah, free except for the poor bastards you lynch!" Bakugo raged as he kicked down the door to another empty room. There were no bodies on this floor, though there were several signs of struggle.

"Bakugo, are you alright?" Uraraka asked, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Bakugo was trembling, his entire body shaking with rage and frustration. "They're weak. The entire Meta Liberation Army is nothing but a bunch of weak, spineless cowards who prey on those who can't fight back!" Bakugo ranted.

"They're just like-" Bakugo cut himself off, looking at Izuku. He growled, his teeth grinding audibly. "Just like I was. Shit." He turned to Uraraka, and Izuku could see tears in his eyes. "Don't you get it? I'm just like these bastards! I'm a weak, worthless idiot! I picked on Izuku for years, until he finally kicked my ass like I deserved! How can you even stand to touch me, to look at me?! I'm-"

"Katsuki," Uraraka said gently, putting a hand on his face. "You're nothing like them. You care. You protect others. Maybe you were a jerk to Izuku, maybe you were a bad person. I didn't like you very much when we met. But you've changed. You're not like them. You're strong, because you care."

Bakugo's eyes widened, and for a moment Izuku felt like he was intruding on a private moment. Until Bakugo turned away, his eyes wet.

"Yeah, well, you're still a better person than I am." He glanced back at Uraraka. "Ochako."

She smiled at him. "It's OK, Katsuki. We are friends. We all care about you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah," Shinso agreed, nodding. "I know you have my back. You can call me Hitoshi, just like the others."

"Hmph." Bakugo looked to Izuku. "I bet you still hate my guts though."

"I forgave you a long time ago for what you did to me, Kaachan," Izuku said, using the old childhood nickname once more. "I don't know if you've forgiven yourself though."

"Damn it, now is not the time for this you idiots!" Bakugo suddenly snapped. "Come on! We've got to make sure they don't do anything else to anyone, ever again!" Without warning, Bakugo ran off, not even asking for what floor they should head to next.

"Katsuku!" Uraraka cried, trying to keep up, but Bakugo used his explosions to outpace her.

"Dammit, that idiot!" Shinso ranted as he ran. Izuku kept pace with the other two, not willing to leave them behind to chase Bakugo. That would get them both in trouble. When they entered the stairwell, it rang with explosions and manic laughter.

"I'm coming for you, Destro!" Bakugo's voice bellowed, echoing in the narrow shaft. "I'm going to blow your damn head off for what you've done!"

"We'll never catch that fool now!" Shinso cried, looking up. "He's heading straight for the top."

"Izuku! I'll use my quirk on us. You fly us after him! We can't let Katsuki get killed now!" Uraraka ordered.

"Um, right. Mei, we're going after Bakugo he's headed for-"

But the line was filled only with static. "We're cut off, and I'm out of signal boosters!" Izuku said, feeling panicked.

"I have a feeling Bakugo's about to make enough noise that everyone will know where he is," Shinso said as he and Uraraka grabbed on to Izuku.

"Right. Hang on!" Izuku fired his hoover boots, and shot off up into the air, gravity's pull on him completely erased. Uraraka and Shinso clung on, and Izuku used short bursts of the boots to guide himself as they shot up the shaft.

"There!" Uraraka cried, pointing to a shattered doorway with blast marks.

"Well, at least he's taking the subtle approach for once," Shinso sighed.

Izuku landed and they entered a crater that had formerly been a large reception area. Groaning bodies lay scattered throughout it, men and women of the Meta Liberation Army that had literally been blown away by Bakugo's rage. Izuku sprayed capture foam until his tank ran dry as they jogged through, but even those he missed shied away, clearly still dazed by the force of Bakugo's assault. Ahead, they heard only silence, and that made Izuku's skin crawl.

They ran through another blasted door into an opulent office. Like the rest of the building, at one time it had been decorated with light colors and a chipper atmosphere, but the red lighting now made it seem drenched in blood. Behind a massive hand carved wooden desk sat Tomoyasu Chikazoku, his hands moving before him like those of a puppet-master's. And there on the ground before him, lay Bakugo, underneath a pile of identical looking men, the same as the one that had led them to Feel Good Inc in the first place.

"And so the heroes arrive. Too late for your friend," Chikazoku said, placing his hands on his desk. It suddenly morphed into three more of the heavy browed men, who let out war cries and charged at them.

"Katsuki!" Uraraka cried, rushing forward to meet the onslaught.

Izuku took to the air, dodging them and flying close to the high ceiling. He crashed down on Chikazoku, raising a fist.

"Let Bakugo go!" he warned.

Chikazoku laughed darkly. "It's too late for him. He might already be dead. My puppets won't stop until they've killed him. He's resilient, I'll give him that, but he's dead. Give it up, quirkless freak."

"No!" Izuku slammed his fist into Chikazoku's face, causing his lip to split. The man spat blood to the side, then gave Izuku a ghastly grin. "Weak. So weak. But not as bad as those feeble minded slaves with you. You'll all perish. Go ahead, arrest me. Send me to Tartarus. But your friend will be dead, and my company will at least have purged itself of the filth in it's ranks!"

"Call them off!" Izuku warned, activating his laser. He seared the floor around Chikazoku. "Call off your puppets!"

"Or what? You don't have the nerve," Chikazoku sneered.

Izuku hesitated. If it had been Mei, he wouldn't have, a part of him knew that. But to kill this man in cold blood, even to save Bakugo...Izuku didn't know if-

Something wrapped around Izuku, and he was flung backwards. His head tilted back, and his eyes widened. Above him hung a huge chunk of debris. And then he was skidding along the floor to Shinso's feet.

"Release!"

The rubble crashed down, right onto Chikazoku. The moment it did, the puppets beating Bakugo suddenly melted into a grey goo. Izuku's eyes widened, and he stood. He looked to Uraraka, but she was already moving to Bakugo's side.

"Katsuki! Don't you dare die on me!" she wept as she began to administer first aid.

Izuku sat, stunned, unable to move. He looked to Shinso, who stood, shaken.

"I'm sorry. She told me to get you out. I...I couldn't think of another way. I tried shouting at him, but he was talking to you, there was too much noise, I couldn't...I'm sorry. I...I couldn't think of another way."

"It's...it's not your fault," Izuku said, slowly standing. He walked to Uraraka, who was weeping as she tended to Bakugo's unconscious body.

"He's breathing," she said, sniffing and wiping her eyes. She pointed to the steel shutters on the windows. "Cut those open. I'll need to float him down for immediate treatment."

"Um, right," Izuku agreed. He ran over and activated his laser, but after only a second it deactivated, his power supplies dangerously low. Grunting, Izuku forced the steel shutters open with main force, then shattered the glass behind it.

Uraraka ran out into the open air, falling as she held Bakugo tightly to her. She slowed close to the ground, drifting to a stop amidst a swarm of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. Izuku looked out, and his heart sank. Large portions of the building were on fire. With his visor, he could see dozens of wounded, and a row of body bags off to one side.

"Izuku! Izuku can you hear me! I just picked you up again! What's going on? Where are you?"

"We found Chikazoku," Izuku said quietly. He looked behind him to the rubble, where a dark pool of blood was leaking out now. "He's dead. He was trying to kill Bakukgo and...and we had to deal with him."

"What? Is Bakugo ok?" Mei demanded. "Nevermind, I can see him now, he's being treated. Get out of there, Izuku! That building is going to collapse, they're evacuating!"

Izuku felt his heart flip flop. "What about the people we tied up?"

"They're being evacuated! But you have to get out soon, more and more of the building is catching on fire from the fighting!"

"Right." Izuku hurried back and told Shinso. Together, they gathered as many of the battered and bleeding MLA members as they could. Uraraka came back, floating up a wide stretcher, and they loaded the MLA into them. A few tried to resist, but Izuku put a stop to that quickly, his energy reserves restored by a recharge from Kaminari who came up with Uraraka. Together they evacuated everyone they could, though soon the room began to fill with smoke. At last, they had to retreat, but Izuku was certain they had missed a few people. They left the body of Chikazoku behind: there was no time to spare for the dead.

On the ground, Izuku wearily removed his helmet, sitting on the sidelines and watching as the police and emergency crews tried to help civilians and MLA members alike. More heroes showed up from various agencies, and eventually the fire was contained before the building collapsed.

Mei came to sit beside Izuku, not saying anything, just sitting with him. They put their arms around each other as they watched, Izuku feeling a terrible sense of dread. Shinso came over, dropping onto the ground beside Izuku.

"Bakugo will live," he said, laying back with his eyes closed. "He'll be in the hospital for a while. He was beaten to within an inch of his life. Internal bleeding, broken bones, and God only knows what else. But he'll live."

"Uraraka?" Izuku asked, his voice hoarse.

"The police have her. They assured me they just need a statement. Endeavor is with her. There was more than one casualty in this raid, that's for sure, but the fact that she's got a confirmed kill on such a high profile suspect means there's going to be hell to pay."

Shinso sat up, then held up something so Izuku could see it. It was a briefcase.

"What's that?" Izuku asked, curious.

"Chikazoku's personal computer, tablet, and phone. I swiped them. We can hack into them, figure out how to take down the entire MLA. We're not done yet, but we're close. I can feel it."

Izuku nodded, Mei's humming soothing him. He kissed the top of her head, tears stinging in his eyes. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't save Bakugo, when it really mattered."

"You did save him, he'll be OK," Mei told him.

Izuku shook his head. "No. I...I had Chikazoku. I...I could have stopped it all, but...but I couldn't. I couldn't just kill him, not when I had him at my mercy."

Mei studied Izuku's face, cupping his face in her hands. She slowly shook her own head. "You're a good person, Izuku. That's why I love you. I think that maybe good people have a hard time hurting other people. I think you wanted to save everyone, and that's a good thing. Don't feel bad that you were too good to do a bad thing."

"I should be able to save everyone though," Izuku whispered, tears running down his cheeks. "Like All Might."

"You are not All Might. You are Izuku. And that is enough," Mei told him, gently kissing Izuku on the cheek.

Izuku could only cling to her, wondering if he could ever be half the hero Mei thought he was.


	50. Enter Patroclus

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_50\. Enter Patroclus_

_Up, Achilies, mightiest of all mankind; rescue Patroclus about whom this fearful fight is now raging. _

_-Homer, the Illiad_

Bakugo was silent as Mr. Inui drove the car, staring out the window. He'd failed again. The news kept playing in his mind.

"Reports indicate that the current body count for the Feel Good Incident is at 178. Most of the victims were members of the MLA who were trapped in the fires started by Endeavor and Class 1A of UA as they assaulted the building. Others were normal employees caught in the flames, or killed in the fighting between the MLA and civilians. It appears that quirkless individuals were especially targeted."

Bakugo kept seeing the bodies in his mind. They had been weak. And Bakugo had been unable to save them. He was supposed to be strong, to be a hero. And he'd been too weak to save them.

And there had been Ochako.

"It wasn't your fault."

Bakugo's eyes flicked up, glancing to the side at Mr. Inui, who continued to drive. "The hell it wasn't."

"What you saw at Feel Good was bad, Bakugo. The worst I have ever seen," Mr. Inui said, his voice a growl. "Those BARK BARK GROWL- ahem, that is, the MLA is evil. What they did was horrible beyond imagining. They are responsible for those deaths. Not you."

"Tell that to Kota's parents," Bakugo muttered, slumping in his seat. He was still injured, his left arm in a sling, bandages on his face and chest, and he'd walk with a limp for days yet even with Recovery Girl's help. He'd been beaten within an inch of his life. And he wished that he'd died, instead of what had happened.

"Bakugo, we've been over this. You can't blame yourself for events you weren't even there for, and you helped put Muscular away. Right now, the news is placing blame on you. The price of being a high profile hero. But you saved people. What about that man, Yoshi, who came to visit you at the hospital? Do you think you were weak when you saved him?"

"It was his work buddies who saved him, not me," Bakugo muttered, looking back out the window.

"According to him, they were nearly killed, and some of them were ready to turn him over. You saved his life," Inui stated. "You did the work of a hero, trying desperately to end things so that others could be safe. Your actions were reckless, but when they heard Chikazoku was dead most of the MLA gave up. Who knows how many lives your action saved?"

"That doesn't matter!" Bakugo exploded. "What about Ochako!"

"I've talked with her. She's at peace with what she did," Inui told Bakugo. "You should be too. Sometimes, a hero has to take a life to save one. It's a hard choice."

"And yet that idiot Midoriya was smart enough to know I wasn't worth saving," Bakugo growled.

Inui shook his head. "I've spoken with him as well. He's wracked with guilt that he couldn't save you. He feels responsible for your wounds, for not killing Chikazoku when he had the chance.

They pulled up in front of the dorm building, and Bakugo hurried to let himself out of the car before Mr. Inui could help him. The counselor let Bakugo help himself out, but steadied him on his feet as Bakugo tried to climb the stairs.

"It isn't weakness to need help," Mr. Inui said gently.

Bakugo glared at him, but accepted the helping hand up the stairs. "I'll be fine," he told Mr. Inui, then paused. "And...thanks for the ride. And the talk. I...I'm trying not to be weak, but-"

"But if you didn't feel guilt, you wouldn't really be a hero. You're human, Bakugo, and young. I still think about the people I failed to save. Keeps you up at night. You sure you'll be alright?"

Bakugo looked up at the darkened dorm building. It was late, and everyone was probably asleep. To his surprise though, the doors suddenly opened, and Hari stepped out, dressed in a sweater and sweatpants. She looked like she'd either just woken up or was about to go to bed, but she smiled and pulled Bakugo into a hug before he could protest.

"We missed you, big guy," she said, squeezing him.

Bakugo stiffened, then allowed himself to relax and awkwardly returned the embrace with his good arm. "Yeah. Thanks, Hari."

She smiled and stepped back, yawning. "Thanks Mr. Inui. I'll make sure he gets to bed alright."

"Thank you, Hari. How are the others?" Mr. Inui said quietly.

Bakugo turned to go, limping towards the door.

"Scared. Scarred. What those kids saw...are you sure they're ready for this?" Hari said.

Bakugo turned back, frowning. "What, you think they're a bunch of weaklings? They can handle this crap."

"I don't think any of you are weak, Bakugo," Hari said with a sigh, hugging herself against the night's cold. There was frost in the air, and it was already below freezing, but Bakugo didn't let it bother him. "Hell, you kids are stronger than I am in a lot of ways. But what you saw...the MLA was brutal. You and your group saw a lynching, but that wasn't even the worst of it. Every kind of imaginable horror went on in that building in the few hours that battle lasted."

"Yeah, well, we destroyed the bastards. They won't be a problem anymore," Bakugo said, turning away and opening the door. "Don't worry about us. We're strong. We can handle it."

Bakugo limped away, Hari watching him as he headed for the elevator.

"Good night. If you need anything, call me or text, OK? Mei's up late with Izuku at the workshop, so I'll be up for a while yet."

"Yeah, ok," Bakugo muttered. He had a hard time being angry at Hari. He was an only child, and the sensation of being the beloved little brother wasn't something he was used to. But he did like it. He closed the elevator doors, then slumped against the side.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he snarled, clutching at his head one handed. He slumped down, sitting in the corner of the elevator. How could he be so weak? How could he allow himself to be beaten, to need to be saved and to stain the one good thing in his life forever?

He hadn't been conscious when it had happened. He hadn't seen what Ochako had done. But he'd heard. On the news. From people in the hospital. Even from Shinso and Midoriya when they'd come to visit.

Ochako Uraraka was a killer, all because of Katsuki Bakugo's weakness. He was supposed to be the demon, the one who everyone hated. Because he deserved it. He was a bastard, and he knew it. But Ochako? She was supposed to be the one everyone loved. Just like he did.

"Katsuki?"

Bakugo stiffened, shame filling his entire being. And now she saw him as a weak, sniveling wreck. "Go away."

"Oh God, Katsuki, are you alright?" her hands on him, touching him, staining her just by being near his weakness.

"Go away!" Bakugo snapped. "Haven't you hurt yourself enough already?!" He couldn't look up at her, couldn't face his shame.

"Hurt myself? I was fine! I'm worried about you! You weren't even awake when I went to the hospital to see you! Why did you run off like that?! You should have brought me with you, and Izuku and Hitoshi too!"

"Why? You all hate me," Bakugo said, managing to look up at her. Even there in the moonlight in just her tank top and shorts, she looked strong. He could see her muscles, see her scars, and that was what he loved. Not only could she fight, but she was what he wanted to be: kind, gentle, loved, and most importantly, free of weakness. She was the only one who ever smiled when she saw him, and that tore Bakugo's heart out and threw it on the ground, especially when he saw her with her damn boyfriend, Iida.

"We don't hate you, Bakugo. Come on. The elevator's no place to talk," Uraraka said, gently helping Bakugo to his feet.

"Why are you even up?" Bakugo complained, trying not to think about how close she was. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Couldn't sleep. And then I saw Mr. Inui drop you off, and, well, I thought I should check on you," Uraraka said, lifting Bakugo towards his room.

Why wouldn't she just leave? He was such an asshole to her, he couldn't even stop himself when he wanted to. Without intending to, he found himself saying it out loud as she opened his door. "Why?"

"Because we're friends! We watch each others' backs," Uraraka said, pausing at the door as Bakugo limped inside.

He turned, trying to keep a straight face, but found himself leaning on the wall, tears going down his face. "No...why...why did...why did you kill...for me? I'm not worth it."

"Are you serious?" Uraraka hissed, color coming to her cheeks as her pupils dilated in anger. He could see the pain in her eyes, and he knew why she'd killed. Not just for him, for those two poor bastards they'd strung up. He'd wanted to do it too, and he'd enjoyed it when he'd blasted Chikazoku's bodyguards to bits. They'd told him he'd killed a few goons himself, he'd had to fill out the paperwork. And he'd felt only satisfaction as he'd tallied up the dead.

Uraraka seemed to read his expression, and nodded. "Good. I didn't do it just for you. You understand. You felt it, the need to bring justice."

"I do," Bakugo admitted. "I just...You're a good person, Ochako, and-"

"No I am not," Uraraka snapped, poking Bakugo in the chest. "Do you know why I want to be a hero? So I can get rich! Not to help the weak like you, or to prove that quirkless people matter like Izuku, or even to follow the family tradition like Iida! I did it to get rich! And I killed...I killed that son of a bitch so I could get rich and I don't even feel bad about it!"

Bakugo froze, feeling shocked as tears of frustration started to stream down Uraraka's face. "Everyone else acts like I should feel bad! Like it's this horrible, traumatic event! And I have to act like I feel bad that I killed that monster Chikazoku! Well I don't! I'm glad I did! Saving you was just a bonus as far as I'm concerned, so don't you dare try to guilt trip me! You were trying to kill him too! I just got there first!"

"But...but you're a good person," Bakugo whispered, feeling his world rock once more. "You're kind, and hot, and nice, and everyone likes you! I'm the asshole! I'm the monster! I'm the 'Demon of Battle' that everyone fears! I should...I should have protected you."

"Oh? Do you think I'm a weakling too?" Uraraka demanded, stepping into Bakugo's room and shoving him. He growled, stumbling and tried to stand, to loom over her, but he winced and couldn't manage it on his bad leg.

"Do you think I'm some perfect little doll like my parents do, like everyone else does? The kind hearted heroine who saves little kids?" Now tears were really running down Uraraka's face. "I took Kota back into danger because I couldn't stand the thought of running away! I ran off during the USJ and nearly got me and Mina and Mezo killed! I'm not some perfect little doll! Don't you see, Katsuki? I'm just like you!"

"No, no you're not!" Bakugo said, feeling desperate. He put his hand on Uraraka's shoulder, shaking her. "They like you! People LIKE you! Dammit, I like you and I don't like anyone! Even your do-gooder boyfriend likes you and he doesn't like anything that isn't a damn rule!"

"I...what? My boyfriend?" Uraraka looked baffled for a moment, her tears ceasing amidst her confusion. "You don't mean Tenya?"

"Of course I do! You two are always together! He deserves you, unlike an asshole like me!" Bakugo snapped. And then his head snapped to one side, and he tumbled to the floor, his cheek stinging.

"You...you asshole!" Uraraka hissed, glaring down at him. "Iida is not my boyfriend! I don't even think he realizes I'm a girl half the time he's so damn polite!"

"What?" Bakugo rubbed his cheek, too dazed to be angry. "But...but you're always together."

"Of course we are!" Uraraka groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. "We're friends! But he sees me like everyone else does, except you! As some perfect little angel! But I'm not! Oh God, I'm not…" Uraraka sank down to her knees, pain etched in every line of her face. "I'm not a good person. I killed a man, and I don't even feel bad about it. I'd do it again, and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!"

"I…" Bakugo didn't know what to say. He hesitantly reached out a hand towards Uraraka, and she suddenly jumped on him, clinging tightly to him.

"I like fighting! It feels so good! To stop being that perfect little doll and just break things! And...and-"

And then she was kissing him. Bakugo found himself pressed back against the wall, her lips locked around his. It felt so good, and so wrong at the same time. They seperated panting. Uraraka gazed into Bakugo's eyes, her hand on his cheek as tears wet her cheeks, hiccuping as sobs wracked her body. "And I like you. I know I shouldn't. I know it's stupid. But...but you're so broken. And...and so am I. But you don't care. You never treated me differently. You just...acted like you do with everyone else. And...and you think I'm strong. Strong enough to fight beside you, instead of being someone to protect."

"Because you're the one who keeps saving me," Bakugo muttered, looking away. "And you're so hot. You're not like the other girls. You called me out on my bullshit, but then you welcomed me back. Do you...do you think I'm strong?"

"You're the strongest person I know," Uraraka said gently. "God, I wish I were as strong as you. I love my quirk, but sometimes? Sometimes I wish it were as dangerous as yours."

"That's stupid," Bakugo snapped. "You're stronger than I am. You always bench more than me and you're a damn girl!"

Uraraka flushed. "Are you stupid? You know I'm cheating when I do that, right? I can make the weights weightless! That sounds so dumb…"

"I'm not an idiot! I know that! But people _like_ you! No one, not once, has ever liked me! Not even my parents like me! The only reason anyone tolerates me is because I can break things!" Bakugo snapped.

Uraraka glared at him. "I like you. I told you that. Dammit, I kissed you! Doesn't that mean anything."

"Pff. Bet you kissed lots of boys," Bakugo muttered.

Uraraka punched him in the gut, and he let out a groan; his ribs were still tender. "Asshole! That was my first! And I suppose you've kissed a bunch of girls! Izuku always talks about how popular you were at school!"

"Those dumb bitches were weak and stupid! Not like you!" Bakugo snarled. He didn't know what to do. Inside, he was panicking. He had to make Uraraka leave, had to make her hate him, like everyone else. That was safe, that he knew. "I never cared about them, and no, I never kissed one of them! They were scared of me, just like you should be!"

"Why? You said I was stronger than you. I saved your life! How can I be scared of you?" Uraraka demanded.

Bakugo paused, trying to find an answer. "Because...because I'm a monster. Because I hurt people. And...and if you don't leave, I'll hurt you too."

"You already did," Uraraka said, looking away, more tears forming in her eyes. "I thought...I thought you were dead. That I couldn't save you. And...and for a moment, I hated Izuku. Because he'd been too weak to kill that bastard and save your life."

"That nerd," Bakugo snarled. "He should have done it, dammit! But he's always been too good! Always thought he was better than me, always!"

Bakugo shoved Uraraka away, crawling into the corner. He put his arm around his head, rocking himself. "No, dammit, no. I'm strong, I don't need to make others weak to be strong, I need to make them strong. Midoriya is strong, he helped me, he's a good person, people like him, I can...I can be like him, God…"

"Katsuki…"

Bakugo looked up, seeing Uraraka standing, one hand out to him.

"You see?" he whispered, shrinking away from the hand. "I'm so weak. I couldn't save those people. I couldn't stop it all. Just go."

Uraraka dropped her hand, turning and moving towards the door, then hesitated. "Do you see them?"

Bakugo blinked. See them? What the hell was she-

"I still see them. That man and woman. I don't...I don't even know their names. But I see them. Hanging there. When I try to go to sleep. And...and I know I couldn't save them," she whispered.

Groaning, Bakugo got to his feet, stumbling over to Uraraka. "I know. I do too. And...and I hear Kota asking me why I couldn't save his parents."

He reached out, and gingerly put his hand on Uraraka's shoulder. "You're not weak. You're a hero. All that crap about you being a greedy monster? I don't buy it. You do this to save people. You came back for me, and you and Kota saved Midoriya. You were the first one to say you'd come with us when it was time to rescue Mei. And...and you saved me. Even when I was a stupid asshole. Thanks."

Uraraka wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah. Ok. Like I said. I would have killed that bastard anyway. It doesn't save the people who died, but...but it does make me feel better. A little."

"Yeah. Don't listen to those idiots. Killing Chikazoku was the right thing to do. And you were the only one there with the balls to do it." Bakugo paused. Crap. Here he went, saying the one girl he liked had balls. He was such a weak idiot.

"You are such an asshole," Uraraka laughed, hiccuping and scrubbing at her face. She moved towards the door again, then paused, biting her lip.

"Just go to bed," Bakugo said, feeling exhausted. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep hardly at all, not without the drugs they'd given him at the hospital in his system. He hated them, and hated that he needed them to sleep. Inui would probably make him take some again. Bastard.

"I can't...I just…" Uraraka suddenly turned. "Can...can I stay?"

Bakugo blinked. "What?"

"Can...can I stay here, with you? I can't...I can't see them again. Not tonight. Please."

"The hell do you think you're doing?" Bakugo snarled. "I'm the asshole, remember? You stay here, and everyone's gonna say that I'm screwing you, and dammit if you do they'll be right! I've wanted to bang you since we met and-"

Uraraka closed the door. "I'm not a moron."


	51. The Price of Success

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_51\. The Price of Success_

_Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price_

_-Sun Tzu_

Izuku awoke with a gasp, cold sweat covering his body. He could still see the faces, hanging before him in that red hall, only this time, it had been Mei and his mother's faces there, not those of strangers. With a groan, he lifted himself out of bed, checking his clock. It was 4:03 am. Far too early. And yet, Izuku knew he couldn't go back to sleep.

With a heavy sigh, he sat up, scrubbing his hand through his hair. Restless, he took a long, hot shower, slumped on the floor, letting the water patter over his back. After around twenty minutes, he hauled himself out, drying off. He walked into his room and sat, staring at the wall. After a few minutes, he got his arm, but didn't put it on. Instead, he picked it up and carried it with him. He passed Uraraka in the hall, slipping into her room.

"Hey," he said, trying to smile.

Uraraka froze like a startled rabbit, looking at Izuku with wide eyes.

"S-sorry," Izuku mumbled. "I just thought-"

"I was checking on Katsuki!" Uraraka said quickly. "He's back from the hospital!"

"Oh, is he OK?" Izuku asked, looking towards Bakugo's room. "I mean, other than the injuries…"

"No," Uraraka said softly, shaking her head. "But...but I don't think any of us are OK. I...I had a hard time sleeping."

"Me too," Izuku admitted. "Being with Mei helps."

Uraraka's eyes shifted to Izuku's room. "Is she…?"

"What? No!" Izuku shook his head quickly. "I just mean...talking with her, spending time with her. It helps. I hope...I hope you have someone you can talk to, too."

"Yes. I do," Uraraka said quietly, eyes losing focus. "I think so, anyway." Then she blinked. "Oh, sorry. I just...I'm tired."

Izuku sighed, looking down at the arm he was carrying. "Yeah. I understand that. Good night."

"Good night," Uraraka said quietly, slipping back into her room and closing the door. Izuku heard faint sobs from it, but tried to ignore them. He hoped others did when he cried to himself.

Izuku headed down the stairs, taking them slowly. He glanced at Mei and Hari's room, but they'd been up late last night. She was probably still asleep, and Izuku didn't want to wake her. Instead, he headed out to the gym, hoping he could exhaust himself with exercise then fall back asleep.

As usual, the gym had a few occupants no matter what the hour; with the entire hero course on internships that included night patrols everyone's sleep schedule was off. Izuku headed to the treadmills, where he found Shinso already jogging in place.

"Couldn't sleep?" Shinso asked as Izuku set his arm on a bench and climbed onto the treadmill beside his friend.

"No. Bakugo's back, though," Izuku said. "Uraraka said she checked on him. He isn't doing well."

Shinso grunted. "Big surprise there. Christ. I can still see Chikazoku getting crushed when I close my eyes."

"I'm always just a little too slow to save Bakugo," Izuku admitted as he started to run. It was easier without his prosthetic, as his skin grew irritated and chaffed if he wore it for too long while exercising. Besides, it wasn't like he could make it stronger. That was Mei's job. "I almost wish I could have killed Chikazoku."

"It had to be done. She was just the one who got there first. Even I hesitated for a moment. Next time, we won't let that happen."

They ran in silence for a few minutes, until Izuku thought of something. "Any luck on the electronics?"

"Not yet," Shinso panted, shaking his head as sweat ran down his face. "I'm having to be careful. Everything's password protected, and if I screw this up, we could lose the data. I thought about giving it to a real expert, but I decided...well, this is my fight."

Izuku nodded. He trusted that Shinso would ask for help if he needed it. "You think we really got him? We got Re-Destro and now the MLA will die?"

"Honestly? No, I don't. Well, I mean, I'm pretty sure we got Re-Destro, but the MLA won't just die. There's their drug operations, the propaganda they're putting out, all that stuff. Their online publications were all talking about the 'Brave Martyrs' and said a statement from Re-Destro will be coming soon. I think they have to find a new one. Maybe they'll tear themselves apart if we're lucky, but I don't think that will happen."

"Yeah. That makes sense." Izuku thought for a few moments, keeping a steady pace. Shinso slowed, slowly coming to a stop and catching his breath. "You think we did the right thing?"

That made Shinso sigh, sitting down on the bench and looking down at Izuku's arm next to him. "I don't know. I wish I did. I mean, it felt right, at the time. But...maybe we went about it wrong. We could have quietly scooped Chikazoku up, or had more police, or ambulances there, or...something. But now it's too late, and 178 people are dead. More still might from their injuries. Sure, a lot of them, hell most of them, were MLA bastards, but a lot of them were innocents caught in the crossfire. I just don't know."

"We didn't save everyone," Izuku said, shaking his head as sweat poured down his face. He wiped at his eyes, but knew the sting was more from tears than sweat.

"Nobody ever saves everyone. We just screwed up. But, we did get the data. I'm going back to work on it," Shinso said. "Maybe then it will be worth it."

Izuku finished his workout, then headed back to the dorms. Mei was still sleeping, so he put his arm on and went about making some breakfast. He looked up a recipe on his phone, trying to lose himself in the busywork of cooking.

"Good morning Izuku!" Mei said, smiling as she entered into the kitchen. He smiled back, feeling a bit of the weight lift from his shoulders. "Wow, you made a lot of food, are you really hungry?"

Izuku looked down, realizing he'd cooked nearly enough food for half a dozen people. "Um, maybe someone else is hungry?"

"I'm always hungry!" a chipper voice declared, and for once Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin as Togata popped out of the wall.

"Ha! Got you!" the upperclassman laughed. "Just thought I'd check in on you guys today! Sorry I haven't visited in a while, I've been really busy, tracking down the League of Villains and whatnot!"

"Oh, um, good morning, Togata," Izuku managed. He glanced down at the rice, eggs, and sausage he had prepared. "Um, would you like some breakfast?"

"It's more like dinner for me, but sure! Good morning, Hari!"

"Hey," Hari mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. She looked like she'd been up late herself. "What are you doing here, Togata? Haven't seen you in a while."

"Just thought I'd come visit my favorite bunch of 1st Years and their big sister!" Togata said, scooping up four plates. "Come on, let's eat!"

Izuku sat down with the others, Mei eagerly digging in. He picked at his food, not feeling all that hungry.

"It's hard," Togata said, not having touched his own food. He was looking down at his plate, a melancholy expression on his normally cheery face. "The first time you really see a disaster unfold."

Slowly, Izuku set down his chopsticks, looking up nervously at Togata. "You...You know what happened? Sorry, that's a dumb question, everyone knows. It's been on the news constantly for days."

"I know," Togata said quietly. He sighed, then tried to force a smile. "It's not something they tell you when you first sign up. Well, I mean, Aizawa tries, I think, to let you know. But...you're not ready. Not really."

"We weren't," Izuku agreed, tears coming to his eyes again. "So many people died."

"But you saved so many people!" Mei protested. "Don't think about the ones you didn't save, Izuku! Think about everyone you did help!"

"She's right," Togata said, giving Mei one of his usual bright smiles. "It's like the starfish."

"Starfish?" Hari asked, looking at her own food as though she wanted to sick up on it.

"Yeah, starfish," Togata agreed, smiling. "Midoriya knows, don't you?"

Izuku nodded. "All Might said something about it in one of his interviews a while back. It's about saving the ones you can, but...You tell it, Togata. You know it better than I do."

"Ok." Togata took a deep breath, then smiled confidently. "A man was walking along the beach after a storm. Hundreds, no, thousands of starfish had washed up on the sand. In the light of day, they were slowly drying out, dying. The man felt bad, but knew there was nothing he could do to save all of the starfish, so he just continued his walk."

"A short time later, he came upon a boy running up and down the beach. He was picking up starfish, and hurling them back out into the waves. Curious, the man walked up to the boy. 'Why are you doing this,' he asked. 'You can't save all of them. What you're doing won't matter in the grand scheme of things.'"

"The boy paused, eyeing a starfish in his hand. It was a beautiful creature, deep purple with orange dots along it. He hefted the starfish, then threw it back into the ocean. 'It mattered to that one,' he said."

Izuku nodded, closing his eyes and resting his head in his hands, sniffling. Mei put her arms around Izuku, rubbing his back and humming softly. He clutched at her, letting her soothe his worries for a moment.

"That was really sweet," Hari said, smiling at Togata. "Thanks. You should tell all the kids that story."

"Why? It's stupid." Bakugo slumped into a chair at the table with a plate of the breakfast Izuku had made, looking nearly as battered as he had after the Sports Festival.

"Well, maybe next time I'll just leave you on the beach then," Uraraka said, smiling and putting her own plate down. "Um, I hope you don't mind, but there was some extra and we sort of helped ourselves."

"No, no, it's fine," Izuku assured them. "Please, eat. And, um, it's good to see you again, Kaachan."

Bakugo looked like he was about to explode, until Uraraka put her hand on his in an oddly intimate gesture. He glanced at her, then took a deep breath. "Please. Don't call me that. Katsuki...that's fine. But I'm not a little kid anymore. And neither are you, Izuku. Unless you want me to go back to calling you a worthless Deku."

Izuku considered that. "I feel like a Deku, after what happened."

"Well you're not, dumbass," Bakugo growled. "You fought hard, saved a lot of people. Saved my ass too."

"But I didn't save you!" Izuku said, feeling his heart lurch.

"That's my job," Uraraka said primly, calmly eating her food. "Someone's got to keep this idiot under control."

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugo muttered. He eyed Togata, who was quietly eating now. "I guess your story wasn't completely stupid, seeing as I was one of those dumb fish myself. Coulda used you there, in case you were wondering."

"Maybe," Togata said with a half hearted shrug. "But I was in the mountains. I fought, well, a pretty scary villain."

"Was that the earthquakes we had a few days ago?" Mei asked eagerly. "I thought they were different!"

Togata hesitated, then nodded. "It might have been. I...fought Gigantomachia."

"You fought against the Walking Disaster Zone?!" Izuku gasped. "I thought he was dead! Did you capture him?"

"Yes," Togata said with a sigh. "He's in Tartarus now, with All For One and Stain. It was...well, it was a brutal fight."

"You don't look hurt at all for it being such a big battle," Hari said, looking Togata over. "What happened?"

"I...we…" Togata suddenly rested his head in his hands, and started weeping.

"Togata!" Izuku gasped, standing. Mei stood as well, looking confused, while Bakugo and Uraraka froze, their mouths full of food.

Hari seemed to know just what to do, however, sliding out of her chair and putting her arms around Togata. "Shhh. It's OK. What's the matter?"

"He's dead," Togata wept. "I wasn't fast enough! I wasn't strong enough! He's dead!"

"Whose dead?" Izuku asked, feeling panicked. "Not All Might?"

"No," Togata whispered, shaking his head. "Gran Torino. Gigantomachia ambushed us. I tried to stop him, but I was too slow…"

"Gran Torino?" Bakugo said, looking puzzled. Uraraka frowned at him, and Bakugo coughed. "Um, that's rough, buddy."

"Was he a friend of yours?" Hari asked, gently rubbing Togata's back much the same way Mei had done to Izuku a moment ago.

"He was one of my mentors. He...he's who...," Togata hiccuped and shook his head. "Nevermind. He was a friend of All Might's, and taught me a lot about what it means to be a hero. He was helping me track down Kurogiri, the teleporter for the League of Villains. We found Kurogiri, but...but Gigantomachia was there. Gran Torino…I wasn't strong enough. I thought I had Gigantomachia, but then, he hit me. I should have dodged it, should have phased through, but I got careless, cocky, and...and then I was lying there, and his hand was coming down on me, and I thought I was going to die. Gran Torino got me out of the way, but..."

"I'm sorry," Hari said quietly. She sighed. "I know you're older than these kids and all, but sheesh. You're still in highschool. Are you even 18 yet?"

"Well, yes," Togata admitted. "I am an adult, I should be able to handle this. I'm All Might's heir! But I couldn't even save my own friend. That's why I told Amajiki and Hado they couldn't come with me. All Might was right. This burden will take my life."

"What burden are you babbling about?" Bakugo snapped. "Look, we were there at Kamino too. You think you're All Might? That is some bullshit."

Togata's head snapped up, and both Hari and Uraraka glared at Bakugo, but he ignored them. "You know what killed All Might? I'm not talking about Mr. Yagi, I'm talking about All Might, the hero, but it damn well will kill Yagi too. It was the fact that the whole damn country, hell, most of the damn world, put all their faith in him. And it damn well broke him. Symbol of Peace? Ha! More like target practice! Every little mincing villain with delusions of grandeur, every pro who had dreams of being number one, they all tried to tear him down. You know it's true!"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? That's why they wanted twenty two of us, instead of it just being you. Oh, sure, you might be as strong as All Might, but I freaking doubt it. They figured out the problem: if your Symbol of Peace is just one man, when he goes down everything goes to hell in a handbasket straight away."

"So this time they tried something else: Spread it around a little. Yeah, sure, one or two of us might turn out to be screwups, I mean, those dumbasses picked me after all but they mostly have good people like Ochako, Izuku, and even you, you fat headed moron. So they figure, 'hey, one or two of these kids dies or gets seriously crippled, no big deal.'"

"So don't try to be All Might. Or you'll end up a crippled old man, dead before you're 50. Next time, you ass, come and tell us, or your friends, or whoever else, and bring us with you, you muscle brained moron! You can't expect one person to prop up a whole damn country! But if we want to survive, if Izuku and Mei are ever going to have a baby they didn't make with a model kit, then we damn well have to stick together! Or did you not get the message about me almost buying it last week?!"

By the end, Bakugo was screaming, tears running down his face as he stood on the table, his arms flung wide. Togata was looking up at him with his mouth open, while Izuku and Mei clung to one another. But Uraraka was nodding, her expression determined. She reached up, grabbing Bakugo and hauling him down. "And that goes double for you, Mr. Asshole. So no more suicide missions without at least me with you, got it!"

"I can't ask you guys to make the same sacrifice I did," Togata said quietly, looking down at his hands. "I walked into this with open eyes. I knew what would happen, what could happen, when All Might made me his heir."

"And when the hell did he do that while we weren't looking?" Bakugo demanded. "In case you didn't notice, we ALL signed on. Hell, I knew I could die the first time I followed Izuku into hell to get Mei back, but I did it willingly. So did Ochako. Shit, so did Hari. Everyone here signed up for the duration. Did anyone run away after Kamino? Did anyone say 'screw this, I'm out' after Feel Good? No. We're heroes. So screw you, shut up and let us help you."

Togata studied Bakugo, his brow furrowing. "So if I were to give you unimaginable power, and tell you the future of Japan was in soley your hands…?"

Bakugo pointed to Ochako. "Then I'd have to damn well share it with her, and the rest of these idiots who let me hang out with them. Because in case you hadn't noticed, I already have unimaginable power!" Bakugo clapped his hands, a sharp explosion sending plates and bowls rattling.

"There are easier ways to swat flies, dumbass!" Jiro's voice shouted from the hallway. "Keep your voice down! And tell Togata to stop being a bitch! Some of us are trying to sleep! GOD!"

"Sorry!" Togata called, then winced and covered his mouth. "Oops. Guess it's still kinda early, huh?"

"Hell if I know," Bakugo said with a shrug. "I can't hardly sleep these days anyway."

For some reason, that comment made Uraraka blush deeply, and that made Hari's eyes narrow. She stood up from Togata, looking between Bakugo and Uraraka. Bakugo gave her a blank look back, but Uraraka went beat red and started shoveling food in her mouth again.

"Hey! Togata! Long time no see man! How's it goin'?" Kirishima asked, striding into the kitchen and giving a big thumbs up. "Yo! Kyoka! I'm stealing some of your cereal again!"

"God dammit Eijiro if you eat the last of it so help me I will rain hell upon you!"

"I'm stealing some too!" Ashido said, sliding into the kitchen. "Guess it's time to get up! Day's a wastin'!"

"And some of us would like to waste it, IN BED!" Jiro snarled, stalking into the kitchen in her pajamas. She snatched the box of cereal out of Kirishima's hands, shaking it. "Hmph. This one's mostly full. Fine. Take some, you vultures."

"There's more in the pantry," Hari called. She stood up from kneeling by Togeta, walking over to Uraraka and whispering something in the other girl's ear. Uraraka went beet red, shaking her head at first, then nodding reluctantly.

"I'm watching you," Hari muttered to Bakugo before retaking her seat.

Bakugo grimaced, then for reasons Izuku didn't understand, blushed and looked away.

"Ugh, why is everyone so loud?" Kaminari complained, yawning as he stumbled into the kitchen. He brightened when he saw the bowls of cereal. "Oh hey, that's my favorite! Sweet, can I have some?"

"Everyone else is," Jiro muttered, waving her hand. "Fine, but you jerks have to buy some next."

"Ah, don't worry about it Kyoka," Ashido laughed as the others took their place at the table. "We're all millionaires now!"

"Well I won't be if you jerks keep eating my cereal!" Jiro grumbled around a mouthful.

Kaminari took a bite, then, slowly, a wide grin spread over his face, and he elbowed Izuku. "Hey, hey Izuku, you know what kind of cereal this is?"

"Um, Honey Os?" Izuku said, glancing at the bowl.

"They're Jir-Os!" Kamaria said, grinning widely.

Togata burst out laughing, while everyone else groaned loudly, save Mei, who mostly looked confused.

"Get it? Mei?" Kaminari prompted. "They're shaped like an O, and they're Jiro's so, they're Jir-Os!"

"Ha! Yes, that is very funny Denki!" Mei agreed, now laughing as hard as Togata, which made the older boy laugh even louder.

"You are such a dork," Jiro muttered, trying to hide her flushed face in her bowl of cereal. "I am so not giving you any more." Then she turned her baleful gaze on another target. "Thanks for waking me up last night, Bakugo. What the hell were you doing when you got back, crunches? You look beat to hell, just go to bed, your room's right above mine!"

Uraraka gasped, choking on her rice. Bakugo glanced at her, then pounded her back until she coughed and started to breath again, fanning her face.

"Yeah. Sorry. I'll try and keep it down next time," Bakugo said, his face perfectly straight as Uraraka guzzled water, his hand still on her back.

"Yeah well screw you- wait, did you just apologize?" Jiro asked, looking confused. She looked to Ashido. "Ok, I know I'm the one who's supposed to have good hearing and all, but I did hear that, right?"

"Mmph?" Ashido grunted, a bit of milk leaking out of her lips as her cheeks bulged with cereal.

"Well, sounds like maybe you finally learned some manners and started to become a real man after all!" Kirishima laughed. "Guess Uraraka's rubbing off on you finally!"

"I need to go now," Uraraka said, quickly standing. "Thank you for breakfast, Izuku!"

"Screw you too, dumbass," Bakugo grumbled, standing and going after Uraraka.

"What's eating those two?" Jiro said, sounding confused.

Hari sighed, standing and pushing her chair in. Mei grabbed her sister's half eaten plate and shoved it onto her own, happily chowing down. "I'll just see to that. Togata, you're welcome to stay as long as you want. Talk to the others, they might understand too. And, if you need a shoulder to cry on, well, I guess I'm everyone's big sister now. Until I get my idiot self fired."

Izuku started to eat his own breakfast, despite the fact that it was cold.

"Hey, Togata, man, we get it, by the way," Kirishima said, setting down his now empty bowl and wiping his chin with the back of his hand. "This hero thing? Yeah, way harder than I thought. But we don't have to do it alone. I got these guys to help me, right Deki?"

"Yeah!" Kaminari agreed, bumping his fist against Kirishima's. "Bro's for life!" Then the energetic boy deflated. "But...yeah. A few days ago sucked. Without these guys, well, I'd be a mess right now."

"Yeah, you're like, our example and stuff!" Ashido said happily, setting aside her own empty bowl. "You can talk to us!"

"I don't know," Togata said, laughing and awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I am the upperclassman, you guys should be coming to me for advice!"

"That is silly, you came to me for underwear," Mei stated matter of factly. "If you need social skills, you should talk to Mina though. She is very good at them."

"Sometimes, we're the starfish too," Izuku said quietly.

Togata glanced at Izuku, hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I guess even I need saving sometimes."

"Starfish?" Kaminari asked, looking puzzled. "Since when are we starfish?"

"Because you're the most Patrick person I have ever met," Jiro said seriously.

Kaminari blinked, clearly not understanding. "I'm...a what now?"

"'[Duuuh, is this the Krusty Krab]?'" Jiro said in English with an odd, exaggerated accent. "['NO! THIS IS PATRICK]!'" She burst out laughing, leaning back in her chair. Everyone else stared at her with a total lack of understanding. After a moment, Jiro stopped, leaning forward. "What, have you people NEVER seen Spongebob? Come on! 'Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?'"

"Um, Patrick?" Kaminari guessed.

"No! Patrick lives under a rock!" Jiro vehemently corrected. "Ok, this is like, a serious hole in you people's education. We are so watching Spongebob today. You all have the day off of patrols, right? What about you, Togata?"

"I suppose I could take the day off like Mr. Inui told me to," Togata said with a sigh. "I was just going to go out on patrol. The League is still out there."

"Yeah, or you could do something important! Like watch Spongebob with us!" Jiro argued.

Mei frowned. "Is this in English? I do not like English."

"We'll watch the dubbed version for all you heathens. That way, Fry Brain can appreciate it too. I wouldn't want him to hurt himself trying to read the subtitles," Jiro said sweetly.

"Oh ha ha, I'll have you know I'm pretty good at reading English, Ears!" Kaminari said defiantly.

Kirishima chuckled and set his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Man, you should just let it go. The subtitles would be in Japanese."

"I knew that, I just wanted her to know I'm not dumb, you know?" Kaminari muttered.

"Maybe you should try keeping your big mouth shut for once, that might actually do the trick," Kirishima declared, slapping his friend on the back. "What do you say, Izuku, Mei? Can we drag you two lovebirds out of the workshop for a few hours to have some fun?"

Mei looked at Izuku, and for a moment she looked worried. "Yes," she said, surprising Izuku. "I think Izuku needs to be with friends. He is not happy right now and our babies are not helping very much."

"Then Spongebob it is!" Jiro declared. She walked away, singing a very odd song in english as she went. "[ARE YOU READY KIDS! I CAN'T HEEEEAAAAAARRRR YOUUUU!]"

She returned a short time later, hooking her phone up to the TV, and putting on some old American cartoons, which to Mei's relief were dubbed into Japanese. At first, Izuku really didn't understand the appeal of it. It seemed rather childish to him, with seemingly nonsensical jokes and a bizarre meandering plot. To his surprise though, Mei found the show fascinating, laughing loudly along with Jiro at every weird joke.

Slowly, Izuku began to relax, as Mei snuggled up to him on the couch, giggling at the antics of the animated sea life. Hari returned after a few minutes, sitting down and laughing herself. Even Togata seemed to enjoy himself, though his sense of humor was odd enough that Izuku wasn't sure what that said about the show.

As he sat, Izuku felt his eyes closing, and he dozed off, surrounded by friends and happiness. And instead of nightmares, he dreamed of a world of laughter, and of peace.


	52. Nose Butter

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_52\. Nose Butter_

_The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization._

― _**Ralph Waldo Emerson**_

Izuku woke from his nap to find Mei drooling on his shoulder, snoring softly. The rest of the others were sleeping as well, including Togata and Hari. It had been a hard couple of days, so Izuku wasn't surprised. He gingerly shifted himself, taking the remote and changing the input from Jiro's phone and the old cartoons. He flipped through the channels, settling on a news program. At first it was normal, everyday things, going over a few human interest stories such as a girl with a quirk that let her talk to her gerbils and how she'd trained them to perform tricks. But then it shifted to more dire matters.

"Crime rates are up 2% in the last month, a shocking rise. Despite the best efforts of the new Pillars of Peace and the pro hero community, criminals are becoming increasingly bold across the country," the female news anchor explained.

"That's right. And today, we've assembled a panel of experts to discuss this phenomena," the male reporter, who Izuku recognized as Miyagi stated. "With me tonight are, Mr. Rikiya Yotsubashi, CEO of Detnerat."

The screen split to show a smiling man with a long, pointed nose, and a receding hairline of red hair. Izuku recognized him, and Mei stirred slightly.

"Izuku?" Mei asked, blinking.

"Shh, it's OK, go back to sleep. I'm just watching the news," Izuku said, reaching around to pat Mei's leg.

She shifted, looking up. "Hey! It's Yotsubashi, the guy who makes all the cute babies! Well, not as cute as ours."

"-Junior Minister Koku Hanabata of the Ministery of Justice-" the screen this time showed a greasy looking man with a slicked back haircut and a ghost of a mustache wearing a cheap suit.

"No, go back to Detnerat!" Mei told the TV. "I want to hear more about their new babies! Did you know I used to want to work for Detnerat! They have lots of money! And they make all kinds of cute babies, we got Komaru's goggles from them until I made better ones."

"No I didn't, but it makes sense. You don't still want to work for a big support company?" Izuku asked.

"No, we are going to have our own company, and make cute babies for you and all of our friends," Mei stated. "I thought you knew that!"

"Well, I mean, we've never really talked about what we plan to do in the future," Izuku admitted. "It was always getting into UA, and then getting into the Hero Course, and now we're just trying to survive."

"Well, obviously you will have a big hero agency like Endeavor, but all of our friends will work there too. And Hari, and Togata, and even my mom and dad!" Mei proclaimed. She frowned, glancing at Izuku. "That is what you want to do, isn't it, Izuku?"

Izuku considered that as the last panelist was announced, a supposed hero expert named Aorio Kuraishisu. Izuku didn't think much of the man, who looked a bit like a demon with two small horns on his forehead and pointed ears on a pale face.

"I mean, that sounds really great. I hope we can all stick together." He glanced over at Ashido, Jiro, Kaminari,and Kirishima, who were splayed out together over a pile of pillows in the middle of the floor. "It would be nice to keep working together. We've gotten really close as a class. But… pro hero teams almost never work out."

"Why not?" Mei asked, sounding confused. "Don't they like to work together?"

"It's mostly because of money," Izuku explained. "Pro's have enormous overhead for insurance. Endeavor's agency is practically shut down right now as they try to deal with all the claims and lawsuits that are coming in from the Battle at Feel Good. You can make more money as one big pro instead of having to split the spotlight. But, well, there's also ego. Some people are too proud to be willing to work together. And people get in fights."

Mei considered this. "But, but we're all good friends, right? We'll stick together?"

"I hope so," Izuku said, sighing and shaking his head. "But, well, we've already had our share of little tifts. And there was how Katsuki has been acting. I'm glad he's not mad at Ochako, I was worried he'd be angry at her."

"They should not fight, they should be nice to one another!" Mei stated firmly. "Ochako saved Bakugo's life! He should be nice to her for that."

"He's nicer than he was," Izuku said, then frowned. What was that they had just said on TV?

"-all I'm saying is that society's faith in the heroes is shaken, and that the incident at Feel Good isn't helping things," Kuraishisu was saying. "Even our Number 1 is struggling to keep the lights on with the numbers of claims he's had to pay out."

"There were certain heroes involved in that incident that I have a hard time trusting myself," Hanabata agreed. "This is what comes of letting quirkless individuals become heroes, and allowing a pack of children run rampant. I opposed such a move in my ministry, but I'm afraid I was in the minority."

"What!?" Mei snarled, jerking upright. "You shut up you-you-you big stupid!"

"Huh?" Kaminari said, jerking upright, one hand raised and sparking with power. "What happened? Where's the fight?"

"Fight?!" Ashido gasped jumping to her feet as well, a ball of acid forming in her hands. "Where? I'm ready!"

"RAARRRR!" Kirishima roared, his quirk activating as he surged to his feet, his clothes ripping in the process.

Jiro was silent, but rose to a crouch, her eyes darting back and forth.

Hari let out a squeal of indignation, as Togata jumped on top of her, his eyes shifting back and forth. "Where is it, what happened?"

"That dummy says Izuku can't be a hero!" Mei ranted, pointing at the TV.

Everyone else blinked. "What?" Jiro managed.

They turned to the TV just as Yotsubashi started to speak, "While I agree it was a mistake to allow a quirkless boy into the ranks of the heroes, I think the real issue is that we have heroes pushing a personal, political agenda. It's tragic that so many lost their lives in a reckless attack on civilians. Chikazoku was a personal friend of mind, and while I must say that it does seem he responded poorly to Endeavor's intrusion, can he really be blamed? He must have thought that he and his employees were in danger, and he was right. We have 189 dead now, all because of reckless action by the heroes. Someone needs to rein them in."

"Oh, it's the TV?" Ashido said. She looked down at her acid covered hand, frowning. "Great, now I have to do something about this."

Kirishima went bright red, his quirk deactivating. He grabbed a pillow, trying to hide behind it. While his modesty was mostly preserved, you could see his undergarments now, his pants and shirt having been reduced to rags. Kaminari snickered, while Jiro went red herself and looked away. Ashido, on the other hand, grinned and looked appraising, elbowing her friend.

"Togata," Hari said, her voice muffled. "As sweet as this is, could you maybe get off of me?"

"Oh!" Togata jumped off, rubbing the back of his head and going beat red himself. "Sorry! I just, well, I thought maybe it was a villain attack or something horrible."

"It is horrible!" Mei snarled, now on her feet, her hands clenched into fists. "Those jerks are saying Izuku shouldn't be a hero! They're saying bad things about all of you!"

"Yeah, um, that's too bad, and I uh- bye." Kirishima waddled off, still looking mortified.

"Ha! Who's the stupid one now?!" Kaminari chuckled.

"Them!" Mei declared, her eyes seeming to burn with fury as she glared at the TV.

"Mei, it's OK, I can change the channel," Izuku said, fumbling for the remote.

"No, wait," Togata said, turning and frowning at the TV. "Let's hear what they have to say. It's important to know how the public perceives us."

"I'd like to think that we still live in a civilized society, one where the ideals of the Meta Liberation Army are seen as the idiotic and dangerous rehetoric that they are," Kuraishisu said, going up several notches in Izuku's estimation. "But nevertheless, the old system is failing. Hanabata, what is the government's plan to deal with this crisis?"

"Honestly, we're simply trying to recruit more heroes at this point," Hanabata said with a sigh. "The higher ups in the ministry don't think it's a good idea to change tactics. They think simply having more heroes in the street will solve the crisis through sheer force of numbers."

"Well, rest assured, Detnerat will do it's part," Yotsubashi said, smiling. "We're releasing a new line of Support Gear soon, for heroes, and for civilians who need to protect themselves."

"Is that quite legal?" Miyaga asked. "Civilians aren't allowed to use Support Equipment."

"We're working with the government to see if we can get new laws passed," Yotsubashi explained with a friendly smile. "After all, we saw what happened when everything rested on the shoulders of All Might. He was a great man, the greatest hero the world has ever seen, and perhaps the person we all admire most. But even All Might couldn't actually be All Might. Eventually, he proved to be just as human as the rest of us. Aren't we doing the same thing now by putting our faith in a group of children, some of which unfortunately don't even have strong quirks to help them? Perhaps we could be stronger if we all stood together."

"That sounds like the same crap the MLA spews," Jiro said, folding her arms over her chest and scowling.

Togata nodded, looking worried. "If this is really what people think…"

"I can assure you, there are those of us in the Ministry of Justice that will do everything in our power to ensure that our population stays safe, including doing away with old, antiquated ideas about self-defense," Hanabata stated.

"I've got you, you son of a bitch!"

Everyone turned to see Shinso, his eerie tombstone grin spread over his face as he typed on a laptop held in one hand "THAT'S who Trumpet is! I'm in!"

"What do you mean?" Togata asked, looking confused.

Shinso spun the computer around, showing everyone the screen. "Chikazoku wasn't Re-Destro. That's someone else. He was high up in the MLA though, one of the top lieutenants. His password hint was 'trumpet.' Well, we've got that asshole on TV trumpeting the MLA's lines."

"So his password was Hanabata? That seems stupid," Jiro said, frownng.

"No, his password was [boogers], in english," Shinso said eagerly.

"Um, is it just me, or are you guys not following this either?" Kaminari asked, sounding confused.

Shinso shook his head. "My family visited Hawaii a few times, my uncle lives there. He told me to wipe my hanabatas, which meant boogers. So Chikazoku's password was [boogers]!"

"This seems like an insane leap in logic," Ashido said, sounding concerned.

Mei, however, dashed over and examined the screen. "You did it, Shinso! You're in!"

"There's still some files I can't get access to, these folders are password protected too, but…" Shinso spun the computer around, clicking a few times. "Ah-ha! And here's proof. Koku Hanabata: listed as Trumpet. If he's not Re-Destro, he's close. He's the man that I think Chikazoku reported too, but we'll have to do more digging."

"Wow, nice work Shinso," Hari said, coming over and patting him on the shoulder. "Looks like you really will take down the MLA."

"Finally," Shinso growled. He looked up at Togata and smiled. "What about it, big guy? You wanna help smash some bad guys?"

Togata nodded, making a fist with his right hand. "Sir Nighteye and I have hit a dead end with the League of Villains. A team-up against the MLA sounds perfect."

"Are we going to tell Endeavor about this?" Jiro asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Or just go grab the bastard ourselves? I mean, we know where he is." She gestured to the TV, where the now revealed MLA leader was still spouting his organization's propaganda. This time, the picture of Izuku threatening the reporters was on the screen, making him feel sick when he saw it.

For some reason, Izuku and the others looked to Hari, who blinked at them. "What? Just because I'm the adult in the room, um, no offense Togata, doesn't mean I know crap about heroing. The only time I tried it, I got arrested, remember?"

"Yeah I think we probably should tell Endeavor," Izuku said, rubbing his chin. He looked around, frowning. "Where's my arm?"

It turned out to be buried under the couch cushions, though how that had happened no one seemed to know. Izuku put it on while Shinso sent a text to Shoto, telling him what they had found. Meanwhile, Kirishima ran through the dorms banging on doors, while Ashido sent text messages to those who weren't in the building. Izuku and Mei ran to the workshop, quickly preping the Power Armor from the repairs they'd needed to do over the past few days.

Within two hours, everyone was back at Endeavor's hero agency, while Shinso presented the information discovered on Chikazoku's laptop.

"-so in short, we've got Hanabata cold with this evidence, while we've also got a lot of information on the MLA members at Feel Good Inc. Most of them we've already captured though, and I think we should just leave that to the police," Shinso explained.

"Do you now?" Endeavor said, frowning. "Well, I suppose the small fry we can leave for the police, we got most of them anyway. Did you find anything on the drugs? The fact that we found

nothing at all was troubling."

Shinso shook his head. "No, there's nothing about drugs or production of them on the computer, aside from a few references to Geten and Hanabata being involved with them."

"Interesting," Endeavor drummed his fingers on the table, his flames flickering low as he considered the new information. "So Chikazoku wasn't involved, but Hanabata was? This is troubling. He's one of the top officials in the Ministry of Justice. If he's really the one calling the shots, that would make him Re-Destro."

"So? We still take his ass down," Bakugo said, leaning back in his chair. "If he's Re-Destro, or Trumpet, or whatever, he's one of their bigwigs. We get rid of him, we win."

Endeavor frowned, his flames flickering low. "Perhaps. The Battle at Feel Good Inc was a disaster. I had no idea there would be so many MLA members there. A few certainly, but the hundreds we encountered? It was madness. It looks like nearly half the employees were MLA members. And it's cost us dearly financially."

Shinso looked up. "What do you mean? Surely they're not going to charge us for the damage, it was the MLA that caused most of it."

"The MLA isn't an official group. They don't have large coffers to get money from when you have hospital bills to pay or greedy lawyers looking for an easy pay out," Endeavor stated, his flames flaring up to betray his anger despite his calm tone. "Most of the claims will be thrown out, but the legal fees alone are going to put me deeply in the red, especially since this incident has caused both my and your popularity to take a serious hit, resulting in less sales."

"Well...can we fix that by taking down Hanabata?" Izuku asked hopefully.

Endeavor nodded grimly. "We'll have to, and we need to do it quickly. However, we can't risk another incident, that would cause far more harm than help."

"The obvious solution is to not capture him while he's in a place of relative strength for himself," Aizawa stated. "Take him while he's alone, isolated. With minimum civilians around who could get caught in the crossfire."

"Perhaps," Endeavor allowed. "I don't want the students caught up in another fiasco. Whatever happens, you will stay behind."

"What!?" Izuku found himself exclaiming, along with similar sentiments from the others.

Endeavor raised a hand to forestall them. "Right now, the majority of the blame for Feel Good is falling to me, and the majority of credit to you. This is as intended. If you accompany me and another disaster befalls us, you'll be caught up in the blame. Best not to further besmirch your good names."

"But I'm the one who found out about this!" Shinso said, his face going red.

"Hey, relax kid," Burnin said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It ain't cause the boss wants to steal your thunder. He's tryin' to protect ya."

"And what about me?" Togata demanded. "I came to help take down the MLA. They're a threat to society, just like the League of Villains."

Endeavor seemed to hesitate, then looked to Aizawa. For his part, Aizawa gave Togata a long, measuring look, then nodded. "Take him with you. But don't let him show himself unless things go well. We can't afford to have his reputation stained."

"I already have one 'Stain' on my reputation, but he's in tartarus!" Togata quipped. It fell flat however, save for Hari, who snorted and tried to hide her giggles behind a hand.

"So you'll let him go? That doesn't seem right," Shota said bitterly.

"Associating Togata with the Number 1 Hero is a part of our long term strategy," Aizawa explained. "Unfortunately, the rest of you would stand out too much. You'll keep doing patrols and street level work for now."

"If this goes well, don't worry. I'll make sure to credit Class 1A, and you in particular, Shinso," Endeavor said. "The excuse as for why you weren't with me is obvious; you're all still recovering from your wounds."

"Yeah, and I could have done that in bed instead of getting dragged here," Sero grumbled. He'd been eager enough to come after a late night patrol, but the realization that they wouldn't be helping to collar Hanabata was souring everyone's mood.

"So how will you go about capturing Hanabata if we're not going to be involved? Are you just going to march into the Ministry of Justice?" Shinso demanded.

Endeavor drummed his fingers on the table. "Yes...I might do exactly that. It wouldn't be unusual for me to make an appointment to meet with one of the junior ministers. I've actually met and talked to Hanabata before, so we have something of a prior relationship." He looked to Togata. "Having you come along wouldn't raise many suspicions either, we can claim that we want to give you some experience working alongside me."

"Well alright, but only if the others are OK with me going along with you," Togata said, looking to Class 1A and smiling. "I wouldn't want to just steal their thunder."

"Oh just go do it," Shinso grumbled. "Be nice for someone to have some fun on this."

With that, they were dismissed, leaving most of them to head back to the dorms.

"Well that was a waste of time," Shinso grumbled as he slumped into his seat on the bus. Hari had helpfully driven most of the class there, but the sense of excited urgency was faded entirely now.

"No, we did still get a lot of good information on the MLA. Trumpet is one of their top leaders. Even if he's not Re-Destro, getting him arrested will deal some serious damage to their organization," Izuku pointed out.

"I guess," Shinso grumbled. "I just wanted to be there when it happened."

Mei nodded seriously. "I understand. It is like when you get to use one of me and Izuku's babies to fight bad guys. I do not get to see how cute they are, but at least I know they are being used!"

Shinso studied Mei. "Yeah. I guess you don't get to really see all your hard work in action. Never really thought about that."

"It is OK!" Mei assured Shinso. "I like that I get to help my friends, and I do not like fighting. It is scary. When Izuku and the rest of my friends fight I do not like it when they get hurt, but I know you would all be sad if you did not get to fight bad guys because you are all heroes who help people."

"Hey, you're my hero," Izuku said, squeezing Mei's hand. "You work hard to keep us safe when we're on missions. Even if you're not there with us in person, you keep us coordinated and send supplies and back up. That's important."

"That is a nice thing to say, but I think it is not the same," Mei said with a shake of her head. "I have seen how sad everyone was after the battle. I do not know everything that happened, but you are all very sad. I also think you are not sleeping, Izuku. Your eyes are starting to look like Shinso's and that is not good."

Izuku blushed and glanced at Shinso, who had perpetual dark shadows under his eyes. Now though, Shino's eyes were also bloodshot, and it was clear he was having trouble sleeping as well.

"She's not wrong. I've been an insomniac for years. Spend too much time online. Before it was just stupid games or posting on message boards, but now it's part of the job." Shinso let out a heavy sigh. "Who knew that my days of writing angry posts on the web would lead to taking down two MLA bigwigs?"

"Maybe we should let Mr. Inui give us something to help us sleep," Izuku said with a sigh. He glanced back at Bakugo, who was snoring next to Uraraka, who had her head on his shoulder while his arm was draped around hers. They actually looked sort of cute, though Izuku knew better than to point it out to his volatile classmate. "I bet we could all use that."

"Hari takes special medicine to help her sleep," Mei said quietly. "She is very scared of the MLA. She does not say anything, but I hear her talk to herself sometimes and she is worried."

"She's another one who got caught up in our mess," Shinso said, shaking his head.

"I think I'm starting to understand what Mr. Aizawa meant," Izuku agreed. "We really didn't know what we were getting into when we went into Kamino Ward."

Mei gave Izuku a worried look, but he smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead. "It was still worth it, Mei. None of us regret what we did."

"At least life isn't boring," Shinso said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "And who knows? Maybe things will start getting easier now."

_Authors Note: _

_The first time I read Hanabata's name I laughed out loud, as it means boogers in pidgin. I don't think this is what was originally intended, but for anyone from Hawaii his name will forever be boogers. _


	53. Snakes in the Grass

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_53\. Snakes in the Grass_

_Those who tread among serpents, and along a tortuous path, must use the cunning of the serpent._

_-Thomas Becket_

"Morning, Tenya," Izuku said, yawning as he sat down at the breakfast table. "Um, sorry, I mean afternoon I guess." It was just a little after noon, but Izuku's schedule was so mixed up he had a hard time keeping things straight most of the time.

"Either way," Iida chuckled. "Ready for our patrol today?"

"Yeah, I was surprised when Ochako asked me to switch with her. Is everything you know, OK?" Izuku asked, feeling a bit intrusive as he asked. Still, he felt he was close enough now with Iida that he wouldn't take offense. Really, aside from Mei, everyone in Class 1A felt more like a sibling or cousin than a simple schoolmate or college at work. It was odd, considering in his previous classes Izuku had been a pariah.

"Yes, I think she's simply worried about Bakugo. She said they both had the day off and she wanted to get to spend a little time with him," Iida explained.

Izuku nodded in understanding. "They've gotten really close, haven't they?"

"Yes," Iida agreed, going slightly flush as he played his bowl natto.

"Something wrong?" Izuku asked. "Things OK between the two of you?"

"Yes, it's just, well, I seem to have missed an opportunity. A lack of initiative on my part. Ah well. It's likely for the best, anyway," Iida explained, and went back to eating as he read the morning paper. A real newspaper, as it happened; Iida seemed to prefer the feel of real paper in his hands instead of a phone like Izuku used. The headline was about another person losing their quirk after an overdose on the new drugs on the street. Izuku grimaced. For all their touting of "Meta Abilities" the MLA had managed to cause a lot of harm to people with their supposed quirk-enhancing drugs.

Sensing that further prying was unwelcome, Izuku changed the topic. "You think the arrest will go well today?"

"It should, though like you I would prefer to be along for it, instead of going out on another patrol. Our route won't even take us close to the justice department. I wanted to see those bastards pay," Iida complained.

"We should be done right as they make the arrest actually. Maybe we could join Mei and some of the others in the control room to watch it go down," Izuku suggested. "That should be interesting at least."

"I suppose. I would have liked to deal with this Hanabata myself." Iida's normally friendly face twisted into a snarl of rage. "Jail is too good for him. I hope he resists arrest so that Endeavor can do the same thing to him that Ochako did to Chikazuka."

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but then he slowly nodded. Iida hadn't spoken of what he'd seen, but Hagakure had been with him, and Izuku had found her crying with Hari a few times. He grimaced and nodded.

"I don't think it's our job to be the judge, jury, or executioner, but I understand," Izuku said quietly, putting his metal hand over Iida's fleshy one. "Just be careful. Don't let them turn you into what they are."

"Yes. You're right of course, I just…" Rage slowly leaked from Iidas eyes, and he looked down, trembling slightly. "What those people, no, those monsters did in that tower...nothing could ever make it right."

"More evil won't cause good. As hard as it is...we really do have to be the pillars of peace," Izuku said, looking down at his own hands. "There's a price to pay for that, I know."

"I suppose you do," Iida agreed. He sighed and forced a smile. "Well, let's get out there today and show everyone just what a real pair of heroes look like."

An hour later, Izuku stepped out onto the street with Iida. "What's going on right now, Mei?"

"Nothing much, no calls or requests for help by the police in your area," Mei responded. "Looks like a normal, peaceful day."

"Well, I suppose that should be a nice change of pace," Iida said. "Shall we?"

For the first hour of their patrol, Iida and Izuku didn't handle anything more pressing than resolving a minor traffic dispute and of course chatting and helping passers by with minor requests. However, there were far fewer people who approached Izuku and Iida than normal, and Izuku couldn't help but feel that the specter of Feel Good Inc was hanging over their heads. Instead of bright young heroes, now Izuku and Iida were two heroes who had taken part in a botched disaster that had left nearly 200 dead.

"It's hard to have them look at me differently," Izuku said quietly to himself.

"Like what?" Mei asked, sounding bored.

"Oh, nothing, just...well, people aren't smiling as much when they see me, you know," Izuku explained. He had his visor raised so people could see his face, something Mr. Aizawa had stressed was important for building rapport with the public. Iida was carrying his helmet under his arm, and was smiling and waving to a child, who eagerly waved back. His mother though, frowned slightly, looking a bit upset. She didn't seem angry, but instead of heroes, Izuku knew she just saw two young people in over their heads. The problem was, he did feel in over his head.

"Really? But you are doing so good at looking at people and smiling! Mr. Onizuku taught me that makes people want to smile at you. Why, I don't know. I don't think smiles are a disease vector."

That made Izuku chuckle and smile warmly. "Maybe they are the disease. But a good one."

"I guess. When I need to smile, I think about our babies! What do you think about?"

"You, mostly," Izuku admitted.

"Thinking about you makes me smile too. Hari, if you need to throw up please do it in the trash can and not at the computer! Well if you don't need to throw up why are you making that face?"

"Tell your sister I love her too," Izuku chuckled. "Though not quite like I do you."

"That is good, it would be very weird if you did and I do not think I would like it very much," Mei said. "Though I guess I love Hari too, but definitely not like I do you. I do not want Hari to get to second base with me. We should try that sometime! Baseball is very confusing, but I have a diagram I found on the internet that is very enlightening. I do not understand what a lot of it means, but it would be fun to try!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Hari's voice said on the line suddenly. "Izuku, I'm watching the two of you! I let something slip once, but that's not going to happen again!"

"But we didn't do anything!" Izuku protested, waving to a young girl and her father. The girl was staring at him with wide eyes, waving timidly. She looked familiar but-

"Tenya!" Izuku gasped. "On your 8!"

Iida spun as Izuku moved to block the path of Kai Chisaki, his expression grim.

"Power Suit!" Eri squeaked, suddenly letting go of the yakuza boss's hand to run up to Izuku. The horn on her forehead was larger than it had been before, and Izuku could see the padding under her coat that indicated the bandages had spread. "You fought the bad people! I heard you smashed them! I hope that you can keep doing that! We're doing the same thing!"

Izuku took Eri, moving her to his side and raising his right hand towards Chisaki. He didn't activate his laser; there was no need to frighten Eri, and Overhaul hadn't done anything hostile yet.

"Mei, we've found Kai Chisaki and Eri," Izuku said steadily. "Send for back up."

"Well, this isn't exactly how I was planning on meeting you again, Power Suit. Or do you prefer Midoriya?" Chisaki said, absently adjusting his gloves. "And Ingenium. I must extend my congratulations to the both of you. Your work against those degenerates in the Meta Liberation Army has been truly phenomenal."

"Don't make any sudden moves," Iida ordered, his tone grim. "You might have gotten away last time, but not this time, yakuza!"

"Mr. Midoriya? Daddy? What's going on!" Eri said, sounding panicked.

Chisaki made as if to move forward, and Izuku's laser popped out of his palm as he shuffled back, keeping hold of Eri. "Don't make another move!"

Eri began to cry, and Chisaki raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "There seems to be some sort of mistake here. I am not your enemy, Izuku Midoriya. But, I will say this: It is unwise to upset my daughter. Her quirk is very unstable."

"She is not your daughter!" Izuku snapped. "What are you doing to-"

He let out a gasp, as suddenly, his suit shattered. For some reason, Eri's horn was now glowing as she wailed in panic. Izuku fell to the ground, Iida letting out a cry of alarm.

"Damnation!" Chisaki growled, taking off his gloves. Iida shouted and moved forward to grab him, but with a swipe Chisaki dissolved Iida into mist. He reformed a second later, stunned, and crashed to the ground groaning.

Chisaki grabbed Eri, turning her to mist as well. She immediately reformed, but her horn had stopped glowing. Chisaki picked her up, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, heroes. I suppose we have done something wrong now, but I couldn't just let Eri kill you, Midoriya. You're both far too valuable."

Izuku trembled, looking down at the ground around him. The base material that his suit was made of lay scattered about him in coils of wire, metal pieces, and other simple elements. What?

Iida groaned and sat up. "What...what happened?"

"Eri's quirk," Chisaki explained, patting the girls back as he grimaced behind his medical mask. "It's rewind. It takes things or people back to a state they were in previously. Her control over it is limited; so far, I'm the only one who can help her control it. She's getting better, but, well, you upset her and she lost control. You're lucky you still exist."

"I…" Izuku blinked. "Um, Iida, stand down. And tell Mei I'm alright. And...and tell Hari to bring the truck." He glanced around, seeing several frightened civilians, some of which had idiotically got out their phones and started recording instead of running when they thought a fight was brewing. "It's alright, everyone! Just a child's quirk misfiring. It's under control now!" He stood on shaky legs, frowning at Chisaki.

"I'm sorry," Izuku said quietly. "It seems we misunderstood the situation. We're both...on edge, after the events of the past few days."

"That's quite alright," Chisaki said, setting Eri back down now that she was calmed. She looked down at the ground, her lip trembling. "I was just taking my daughter out for a walk. She was excited to bump into you. Eri, it's OK. You know what kind of man daddy used to be, right?"

Eri nodded, her lip trembling. "But you're not a bad guy anymore! You want to save the world!"

"I do," Chisaki said, nodding. He pointed to Izuku. "And that's the sort of hero we need. You understand?"

"Yes," Eri said quietly, looking up nervously at Izuku. "But...but my daddy isn't a bad person anymore! He wants to help me, he does! He's helped a lot of people already!"

"Maybe...maybe we should talk," Iida said, shaking his head.

Together, they stepped into the mouth of a nearby alley, Izuku quickly picking up the remains of his suit and stacking them against the wall.

"So, you claim not to be yakuza any longer?" Iida demanded, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, no," Chisaki admitted. "Just that you perhaps do not understand what a yakuza is."

"I know plenty. You're low level criminal scum, left over from another era," Iida stated. "My brother took down plenty of hoodlums just like you."

"That's not true!" Eri protested. "Daddy and his friends want to help people!"

"Shhh. Don't say anything else, Eri. I don't want you to get upset again," Chisaki said, his tone soft.

Eri nodded, burying her head against Chisaki's leg. The man sighed. "The yakuza have always been about honor. About tradition. About protecting the people. Yes, some of us, even my own organization, turned to crime in the past. But I have other ambitions now. I wish to change Shie Hasaikai, and through it, to change the world. Eri is a part of that."

"Change the world how?" Izuku demanded.

"You saw Eri's quirk. It's dangerous. Unstable. Quirks are increasingly out of control," Chisaki explained. "And what organization, more than any other, promotes reckless use of quirks? The Meta Liberation Army. I, and the Shie Hasaikai, stand against the Meta Liberation Army. True, we're not heroes, we can't do so in the light. But we move in the shadows."

"Like Batman!" Eri blurted. "You know him, right Mr. Midoriya?" From her jacket, Eri produced, of all things, a Batman action figure. It was old and battered, but she held it up like a kind of talisman.

Izuku's gut wrenched, and he looked up at Chisaki, startled. "How did you know?"

"I have my sources," Chisaki said quietly. "But what you need to know is this: We are trying to stop the Meta Liberation Army from pushing it's filthy drugs in our territory. You were the one who rescued Kurono, weren't you? He was trying to keep the MLA from pedding their filth in our area. He was captured, and some of my men were killed. You saved him, and for that, you have my thanks."

Izuku started. "The drugs! The ones that amplify quirks at first, but can damage or destroy them with repeated use! You're trying to keep the MLA from distributing them?"

"Precisely," Chisaki agreed. "I'm actually working on developing a quirk inhibitor myself."

"A quirk inhibitor? Are you mad? That could be a dangerous weapon!" Iida protested.

Chisaki raised his hands placatingly. "Not a weapon. A drug. One that could be given to children, or those with unstable quirks, or even just unseemly ones. It could prevent them from harming themselves, or others, like Eri. You know that I am not her father, yes?"

Eri began to cry. "Don't say it daddy, don't say it!"

"Shhh. They need to know. They're heroes. They won't hurt you. I'll keep you safe, just like I promised," Chisaki whispered, caressing Eri's horn. He looked up. "Her mother abandoned Eri after she caused her father to vanish."

"My God," Izuku whispered, feeling horrified.

"I wish I was like you," Eri cried, looking away. "I wish I were quirkless! I wish everyone were quirkless! We-"

"That's enough, Eri," Chisaki said sternly. He bent down and picked her up. "I'm sorry. She's very upset. We were out for a walk to get her a treat. She's worked very hard lately, and deserves one. Besides, my doctors say she needs more fresh air. We have to keep her at home, you understand."

"I...yes. I'm sorry we caused such a bother," Izuku said. He glanced down at his destroyed suit. "And...and for thinking so poorly of you. I suppose you are trying to change."

"Yes. We will talk more." Chisaki handed Izuku a business card. "That number will reach me, or one of my close associates at any time. If you really wish to reform society, call me sometime. I think with your help, and that of the amazing young woman Mei Hatsume, we could return society to where it should be."

With that, Chisaki and Eri departed. The young girl waved timidly at Izuku and Iida, before they walked off down the street.

"He's lying," Iida said, his tone grim. "He cares nothing for that girl. Stay away from him, Izuku. He's dangerous. We have to figure out what he's up to, and put an end to it."

"Iida! He's taken in that poor girl when her own family abandoned her!" Izuku protested. "She loves him!"

"Perhaps, but even villains can have loved ones. I wouldn't be surprised if his conflict with the MLA is simply because he wishes to produce drugs of his own. His tale of making a quirk inhibitor just to help a little girl was either an outright lie, or a deception of some kind," Iida stated.

"I think you're just seeing the worst in people, Iida. He seems like he really wants what's best for Eri. Have some faith! If even a leader of a band of yakuza can reform, there is hope for society yet," Izuku said fervently. He desperately wanted, no, needed, to believe that there was that sort of good in the world. That there was good inside of everyone.

Further arguments were forestalled when a truck screeched to a halt by the curb, and Mei exploded out onto Izuku, her flamethrower clutched in her hands.

"Izuku!" she wept. "What happened to you? Are you ok? Where are the bad guys! And our baby! It's broken!"

"I'm fine, Mei," Izuku whispered, giving Mei a tight hug. "I'm sorry, the Power Suit was totally, well, um, disassembled."

"Where's Chisaki?" Mei growled, pulling away from Izuku, and pointing her flamethrower around. "I'll fry him!"

"I don't actually think he's a bad person, Mei. He didn't do this. It was Eri, her quirk was out of control. Chisaki actually might have saved my life," Izuku explained. He briefly overviewed their confrontation while they helped Hari, Sero, and Tokoyami load the remains of the Power Suit into the truck. Apparently Hari hand simply grabbed whoever was close at hand, and they had been it. Sero laughed good naturedly about the whole incident, but Tokoyami sided with Iida.

"I do not trust the words of a known criminal. He is certain to be trying some sort of deception. Those who must hide their deeds in darkness are never reliable," Tokoyami pronounced.

"But Fumikage, you're always hiding in darkness," Mei said, clearly confused. "Does that mean you are not reliable?"

"The darkness is my home, but I am not of it," Tokoyami said, making a fist.

"Wait, yes we are," Dark Shadow protested. "Let's get out of the sunlight! It's too bright out here!"

"Truely, my life is a dichotomy," Tokoyami sighed. "I am cursed to be a child of light, doomed to forever live in shadow."

"I think you just like talking weird," Mei said with a shrug.

"Whatever, let's just hurry back so bird-brain can go back to brooding. I want to be there when Endeavor and Togata nab Hanabata!" Sero said eagerly.

"Shhh, not so loud," Iida hissed. "But yes, let us return. I too wish to see justice served at least once this day."

The control room was crowded when they got back. Mei had been initially reluctant to attend, wanting to immediately set to work restoring the Power Suit, as it would have to be entirely rebuilt. But when Izuku pointed out nearly all their friends would be there, she had acquiesced. Izuku and Mei took up spots near the back, and Hari threw the feed from the camera she had given Togata to wear up on the screen.

"Let me do the talking," Endeavor's gruff voice said from Togata's side. "Hopefully this goes smoothly. I can't imagine he's subverted many officials at the Ministry, but you never know."

"You got it," Togata agreed, sounding like his usual chipper self. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Hey guys! Hey Hari! Can you all hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Hari said into her mic. "You just focus on your mission, tough guy. You and hot stuff there could be walking into a trap. We're prepped and ready to provide back up if you need it."

"Don't sweat it! Endeavor's the Number 1! With him and me, how can we fail?" Togata chuckled.

"Quiet. Don't give away that this is a sting," Endeavor snarled.

"Yes sir!" Togata agreed, and started whistling.

Shoto let out a snort. "Oh, dad is just going to love working with him."

"Yeah, Togata's a neat kid!" Burnin agreed. Then she eyed Shoto. "What, you think the boss won't like him cause he's all bright and peppy and stuff? The boss likes me plenty, and I got loads of pep!"

"It's the whistling," Shoto said with a shrug.

Burnin frowned. "Oh. Yeah, boss hates that kinda stuff. Hari! Tell the kid to knock it off!"

"I'm supposed to be maintaining radio silence except in emergencies," Hari said with a shrug. "Endeavor's a big boy. He can tell Togata to stop if it really bothers him."

As it happened, a single annoyed look from Endeavor was enough to quell the whistling, and the two proceeded into the Ministry of Justice without incident.

"Endeavor and Lemillion to see Minister Hanabata. We have an appointment," Endeavor told a receptionist.

"Ah, yes, you're both expected. He's waiting for you in Conference Room E5."

"Conference Room? Is that normal?" Hari asked over the line.

"Um, is that where we are supposed to meet him?" Togata repeated nervously once they were out of earshot of the receptionist.

"Yes, it's normal enough. He likely expected I would bring along a few of my interns to help them get some experience and wanted a larger meeting space. He informed me we would be meeting in the conference room," Endendeavor stated. "But be on alert. Anything could happen."

They made their way through the building, Class 1A holding their collective breath as they watched. At last, Endeavor and Togata arrived, stepping into the conference room where a smiling Hanabata awaited them at a large conference table.

"Endeavor! Lemilliion! It's an honor to see you! Where are those charming young heroes from UA? I expected them to be here with you."

"They're still recovering. I have them on light duty for the moment," Endeavor replied, coming to a stop at the conference table but not seating himself. Togata took up a position on the other side of the table, and Izuku could feel his tension from how the camera was moving.

"Well, that's fine. Please, have a seat. What can I help you with today?" Hanabata said, sitting and pulling out a pen.

"You can explain this," Endeavor growled, taking out Chikazoku's laptop and setting it on the table. He spun it about, and Izuku knew it showed the page on the MLA registry that identified Hanabata as Trumpet.

"Ah." Hanabata frowned, setting down his pen and setting his hands on the table before him, folding his fingers together. "I see you've found out my little secret. Well. What of it?"

"So you admit to being a member of the MLA?" Togata demanded, slowly moving around the table. The air about him suddenly seemed to distort and crackle. Izuku wondered if he was activating his quirk, but instead of falling into the ground his motions somehow became smoother, more fluid and powerful.

"I am affiliated with that organization, yes," Hanabata agreed. "I am a member of the Free Quirk Party, and our brother organization."

"You're one of their leaders. You're behind the drugs on our streets, and the disaster at Feel Good Inc!" Endeavor roared, his flames flaring and burning a dark red.

"I resent those accusations! What happened at Feel Good can be laid firmly at your feet, Endeavor, not at mine." Hanabata stated calmly. "The Free Quirk Party and the Meta Liberation Army were victims in that incident! Have you come to martyr me, as that murderous child did to poor Skeptic?"

"OH SCREW YOU!" Bakugo roared, loud pops sounding as explosions leapt from his fingers.

"It's alright, Katsuki," Uraraka said gently. "He's going down, just like his friend. At least this time we'll have someone alive."

"Koku Hanabata, I'm placing you under arrest," Endeavor growled.

"On what charge? I have done nothing wrong," Hanabata said as Togata took up a position just behind him.

"Treason, drug trafficking, and a dozen other things," Endeavor stated, pointing a finger wreathed in flame at Hanabata. "Come quietly, or I will use force!"

"Very well, I shall not resist, only state that this is a gross miscarrage of justice," Hanabata said, raising his hands above his head.

Togata grabbed them roughly. "This is better than you deserve, scum! You've caused the deaths of hundreds of innocents!"

"That claim can be laid at your doorstep, you supposed hero. For someone who is supposed to be All Might's heir, you're certainly not living up to it, One For All."

Togata froze, the handcuffs dangling from his fingers inches from Hanabata's wrists.

The other man smiled. "I'd say more, but it seems I'm not the only one recording this little charade. It's a shame Gran Torino died to save you, you're hardly worth it. Well? Are you going to arrest me, or-"

"Shut up!" Togata snarled, springing into sudden motion. He slammed Hanabata's head into the table, hard enough that the man spat out blood and two teeth.

"Togata!" Endeavor shouted. "There is no call for that!"

"Don't you dare say his name like that," Togata rasped, his voice raw with emotion. Water splashed onto the camera, and Izuku realized the older boy was weeping. "Gran Torino was a great hero! I'll live up his legacy, and that of One For All!"

Hanabata didn't speak, only weezing a hoarse laugh. Endeavor and Togata hauled him to his feet, heading for the exit.

"There's holding cells here, but I don't think we can keep him in them," Endeavor said as he reached for the door. "I know a few good police chiefs I trust, we can-"

He opened the door, and lights flashed.

"Freeze! Let the hostage go!"

Togata moved instantly, before the voice even stopped speaking. He dashed forward at inhuman speeds, the image going to a blur. When it stabilized a moment later, it was looking down at a terrified police officer.

"Endeavor, I can't believe this." Togata turned to see a hero in a purple suit with green gloves and cape, along with a black face mask.

"Slindin' Go?" Izuku said, confused. "What's he doing there?"

"Crude force I expect from you, but to lead such a promising young hero down that path? It's shameful," Slindin' Go said, shaking his head.

"Togata, stop! It's a trap!" Endeavor ordered.

Slowly, Togata let the police officer go, gently standing him back up. He looked around, surrounded by armed police, ministry of justice officials, and a handful of heroes. "What's going on? That man, Hanabata, is Trumpet! He's a member of the Meta Liberation Army!"

"That's not a crime," Hanabata wheezed. "The courts ruled against you just this morning. I knew you would come for me. Your reign of terror is at an end, Endeavor."

"What?" Endeavor said, looking baffled and enraged as his flames roared. "No! I'm the Number 1 Hero! I work to maintain the peace! It's criminals like you who-"

"The only criminals here are you and the boy, Endeavor!" Slindin' Go barked. "You obtained an illegal warrant to search Feel Good Inc! You caused mass destruction to justify your raid, then blamed it on innocents!"

"Lies! The Meta Liberation army was responsible! We were there to search for illegal drugs and apprehend their leaders!"

"No drugs were ever found," one of the police said, his tone weary more than anything else. "There's little evidence now that the Meta Liberation army ever made any."

"What? We seized literal tons of drugs from them! Those drugs are dangerous! They overload quirks, even damage or destroy them!" Endeavor snarled as officers moved in to arrest him. Togeta was already being cuffed with special gauntlets, though Izuku had a feeling he could either break them or slip out of them if he so desired.

"The Meta Liberation Army was working under my orders to remove those drugs from the street," Hanabata wheezed, a bloody grin on his face. "Turn that boy's camera off! We'll get the rest of them later. They're probably watching now."

"No," Izuku whispered as the feed cut.

"Togata!" Hari screamed, standing. She whirled, her eyes wide. "We have to help them! The MLA has infiltrated the Ministry of Justice! We have to go rescue Togata and Endeavor!"

"Damn right!" Bakugo growled. "We'll go and-"

"You'll do no such thing!" Aizawa thundered from the door, and everyone turned to look at him.

"I don't know just what's happened yet," Aizawa said grimly. "But we are going back to UA. Right now. Hari, get whoever is back on patrol to return to the school immediately. Something has gone very, very wrong."

"Mr. Aizawa?" Mei asked, sounding panicked. "Those were police! And heroes! They can't be the bad guys, can they?"

A pained look came over Aizawa. "I don't know, Mei. I just don't know. I think Hanabata just played us. I pray he's only got a few cronies at the Ministry. Damnation. This seriously complicates things. Hopefully this all gets straightened out, and soon. But we're going back to the school."

Dread settled on Izuku, and he clung to Mei as they all hurried for the bus to take them back to UA. For the first time, he realized deep in his bones that heroes, even the Number 1, didn't win all the time.


	54. Misplaced Trust

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_54\. Misplaced Trust_

_Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't after you._

_-Joseph Heller, Catch 22_

"He's back! Togata's back!" Hagakure's voice shouted in the hallway, and Izuku bolted upright out of his bed. The police had come by the night before, placing Class 1A under house arrest for the time being. He raced down the stairs along with the rest of his floor, leaving behind his arm in his haste.

He pounded down the stairs to find Togata standing in the living room, Hari's arms wrapped around him as she cried. "We were so worried about you! Are you OK?"

"I"m fine, honest!" Togata laughed, awkwardly patting Hari on the back. "I wasn't ever in any real danger! Everything's perfectly fine!"

Hari took a deep breath and let him go, stepping back and folding her arms over her chest. "Next time, don't go alone!"

"I wasn't alone though!" Togata protested. "I was with Endeavor. And...and I think if any of you had been there, you would have been arrested too."

Shoto hurried up, looking worried. "My father?"

Togata sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. He's still in jail. They let me out when Sir Nighteye came to get me. I'm suspended from hero activity for now, but it will be alright. Endeavor's tough! He won't let them get to him!"

"But, Hanabata admitted he was a part of the MLA!" Hagakure protested. "How can they let him go but lock Endeavor up? He's grumpy and all but he's a real hero!"

"Being a member of the MLA isn't a crime. According to a court ruling that happened mere hours before the mission. A ruling that was kept secret," Shinso said, his voice dull. "They beat us."

"That's bullshit!" Bakugo snarled. "Those people are monsters! We all saw what they did!"

"Yeah, Katskui's right!" Uraraka declared, her hands balled into fists. "How could anyone think anything else?"

"Because the MLA has people in places of power," Shinso said, his tone full of bitterness. "Think about it. Chikazoku? A CEO of a major company. Hanabata? A high placed government official. They had enough pull to get a secret court ruling passed and to have the Number 1 Hero arrested. They set a trap with bait, and we fell for it."

"You think that Chikazawa's laptop was a plant?" Sato asked, looking worried. "Like, they planned for us to find it?"

"No," Shinso said with a sigh. "But they realized that once we had access to that information we'd try to roll up their organization. So Hanabata agreed to the meeting, knowing Endeavor was going to try to arrest him. Then he baited Togata into roughing him up. They played us for fools."

"So we go in and smash them!" Bakugo shouted.

Uraraka put a hand on his shoulder. "We can't, we're only provisionally licensed heroes. If we just burst in and start cracking heads we'll only make things worse. Besides, we don't know if Hanabata is even their leader or if this goes even further."

"Dammit!" Bakugo roared, then he sagged. "But you're right. I feel so weak and useless…"

"It's my fault," Togata said, tears coming into his eyes. "I got so angry when he said Gran Torino died for nothing. And somehow he knew about One For All!"

"That's not the first time you've said that," Izuku said, rubbing his chin. "You mentioned it before."

"What?" Togata gasped, his eyes going wide. "What? I never-"

"Yeah, you did say something about One For All," Jiro said slowly. "I just can't remember-"

"'I am the man who stands, One For All, against you,'' Kaminari said excitedly. "At Kamino! That's what you said to All For One!"

"Yeah, that's right," Kirishima agreed. "Denki's right. You do talk about that a lot. What is it?"

Togata took half a step back, looking panicked. "I-"

"Wait, didn't All For One call you the 'heir' or something?" Ashido asked. "Like 'ooo the heir has arrived!' I remember not understanding what that meant."

"One for All and All for One, I remember that from somewhere," Iida said, rubbing his chin. "I can't remember where though."

"'_Un pour tous et tous pour un_,'" Aoyama recited. "Eet eez from _Les Trois Mousquetaires_, by Alexandre Dumas. A gréat novel of mon 'omeland! Zey are rélated, non?"

"Haha! Oh yes, I loved that book!" Togata laughed, but it was high pitched and nervous. "It was a pun, you see? I make lots of those!"

"Guys, back off!" Hari said, stepping forward to put herself between Togata and the others. "He's a nervous wreck still! Geeze, you kids are grilling him like he's still in the lock up! Just relax, ok? I'm sure everything will be fine." Hari's voice started to raise in pitch, and her body started to tremble violently, her pupils dilating. "Endeavor will get out of this. The MLA isn't...it can't win, they can't...oh God, what if they come for me? We have to get you kids somewhere safe! They could be anywhere, I can't-"

Mei rushed forward to grab her sister as Hari collapsed, sobbing hysterically. Izuku hurried forward as well, putting his hand on Mei as she looked paniced herself.

"It is OK! We will make lots of babies and make everythings safe! Mines! I can make mines, and security lasers and-"

"Fear not, for I am here."

All eyes turned to Togata, as he set a reassuring hand on Hari's shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears, her cheeks reddened and her hair in disarray. She clung to Mei, both of the sisters on the verge of panic.

"I am All Might's heir," Togata said firmly, and in that moment, somehow, he was. His jovial presence was a pillar of strength, bringing calm and order. He seemed to consider something, then looked around, his voice growing louder. "We are all All Might's heirs! We are the Pillars of Peace! The ones chosen by All Might to build a safer world. Yes, we suffered a defeat today. But we are not beaten! We shall face this trial, with a smile on our face! We will ensure a peaceful tomorrow, no matter what comes our way!"

Izuku found himself nodding along with the others. No one cheered or shouted, the mood was still grim, but the air of desperation seemed to be lifting.

"Can you keep us safe? Really?" Hari pleaded, looking up as she clung to Mei.

"I can," Togata said, extending a hand to Hari. He gently lifted her up. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright." He looked around, suddenly seeming a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I woke everyone up! I just wanted to let you all know I'm OK."

It was somewhere after midnight, but well before dawn still. A few people yawned, thanked Togata, and headed back to bed.

"Izuku? Can we work on our babies?" Mei asked him quietly.

Despite his own weariness, Izuku nodded, and they headed together off to the workshop.

"That little girl really did reduce our baby to it's base parts," Mei said for perhaps the fourth or fifth time when they arrived. "We have to rebuild the whole thing from the ground up! At least she didn't ruin your arm too."

"Yeah, her power is very strange," Izuku agreed. "And powerful. I hope Chisaki can keep her safe."

"Yes. And beat up those stupid MLA guys before they hurt Hari," Mei stated as she set to work.

Izuku frowned, considering that as they worked. "He said...he said he'd like to meet you. And that quirk suppressing drug he mentioned...what if we could use it to counter the MLA somehow? Like put it into a missile that we could use like Mr. Aizawa's quirk? That could have...I could have used it to save Bakugo."

Mei paused, frowning at Izuku. "A quirk suppressing drug? Yes...that would be very useful! We could make a lot of cute babies with that! We should meet this person."

"I don't know how," Izuku sighed. "We're basically under house arrest until the situation with Endeavor is resolved, and it's not like your sister would let us out of here to go visit a yakuza boss."

"What if we were going on a date?" Mei pondered. "If Hari thought we were going on a date, she'd probably let us go. Mr. Aizawa did say we were allowed to go out for recreation as long as we stayed close to the school."

"You think we should lie to Hari?" Izuku asked, feeling a bit guilty at even the thought of such a thing.

"No, we will go on a date, we will just tell Chisaki to meet us there," Mei explained. "If he is making super cute babies I want to learn more about them!"

Frowning, Izuku rubbed his chin. "He did say he could help against the MLA, and we really need to find a way to get Endeavor out...OK. I'll send him a text message in a few hours, once the sun comes up."

As it happened, Chisaki was delighted to meet with Izuku and Mei later that day, suggesting a local cafe where they could sit down and talk. He mentioned that Eri wasn't feeling well after her incident the day before, and couldn't join them. That didn't seem to bother Mei overmuch, who had little patience for young children at the best of times.

"A lunch date?" Hari asked, rubbing her eyes. She'd slept on the couch for the rest of the night. Togata was snoring on one himself, apparently having stayed over. A few people were dozing in the living room, while others were quietly eating breakfast.

"Yes, this time I hope there will be no people with cameras," Mei stated firmly.

"Maybe leave your flamethrower behind then," Hari yawned, stretching. She frowned, reconsidering her words. "Actually on second thought, take it with you. And make Izuku take his combat arm. Who knows what the MLA will be up to with Endeavor behind bars. Sure you don't want a few of your friends to go with you?"

"This is a private date," Mei said seriously. "I do not wish to kiss any of my other friends."

Hari snorted at that. "Yeah, yeah, fine. Just let me know where you're going and text me when you get there. And don't stay out too long! I don't want you two getting in trouble."

"Ok," Mei agreed eagerly. She glanced at Togata sideways. "Are you and Togata friends now? You have said you are lonely and complained you need a boy-"

Hari leapt up, reaching over the back of the couch to put a finger to Mei's lips. "Not another word," she hissed. "Christ Mei, he's still in school and I work here! Do you have any idea how much trouble I could get into if people thought we were dating?"

"Not as much as we are probably already in," Mei said, her voice slightly muffled.

Hari slumped back onto the couch, moaning slightly. "Ugh. You're probably right. Look, Togata just stayed to talk last night. He's going through the same crap the rest of you kids are. And, well, if I was a bit scared, he is a pretty strong hero. Can't hurt to have a few more of you around."

"Ok! We will be in the workshop until lunch, we have to rebuild the Power Suit and it will take a few days," Mei stated.

"At least we still have the Ultra Armor," Izuku pointed out as they grabbed a couple of instant ramen bowls to take back to their work station. "I can still use that if there's an emergency."

"Yes, but it does not feel right to not have both of our babies built!" Mei said, hugging herself and looking worried. "What if you have to fight in a building again? What if the MLA comes here? You could keep the Power Suit in your room, or in my room and you could stay with me to keep me and Hari safe and-"

Izuku gently came up behind Mei, wrapping her in his arms. "It's OK. We'll get through this. Maybe Chisaki can help us somehow, give us information on how the MLA is distributing drugs. He could testify on Endeavor's behalf."

"We have to stop them, Izuku. Hari is really scared," Mei whispered, clutching on to his arms. "Everyone is so scared. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should make that minefield."

"Let's save that for an emergency. I don't think Mr. Aizawa or Mr. Majima would be very happy if we turned the campus into a warzone," Izuku chuckled.

Late in the morning, Izuku and Mei went back to the dorms to freshen up. Izuku didn't think he needed to dress up that much, so he wore a nice long sleeve shirt with a clean pair of pants and a belt. He did strap on his combat arm, however. While Hari might be paranoid, he was going to meet a Yakuza boss and it wouldn't be wise to go in unprepared.

Downstairs, Hari was still dressed in her sweats, dark circles under her eyes as she inspected Mei, who was wearing her family's polo shirt under a light jacket. "Did you remember to bring your grenades? What about a taser? I have some pepper spray too if you need it," Hari fussed as she straightened Mei's jacket.

"Izuku has capture foam in his arm, that should be enough," Mei answered.

"Got a full canister loaded, along with my combat knife and laser attachment," Izuku agreed.

Hari nodded, biting her lip nervously. "Ok, well, you two be safe. And no going past first base, Mei! I found that diagram and you are absolutely not allowed to use it!"

"I still want to know what a retrograde wheelbarrow is," Mei muttered.

That made both Izuku and Hari flush. "I, um, I'll make sure she gets home safe," Izuku promised.

"I know, I know, you're a hero and Mei's a big girl. I just worry, alright? I'll let Aizawa know you two went out for lunch and I'll text if anything comes up. Have fun, you two," Hari said, waving as they departed.

The cafe where they were to meet Chisaki was only a short train ride away. They found the Eight Precepts easily enough; it was tucked away in an older part of the city, and decorated like a old buddhist temple. At the door, a blonde man dressed in a traditional monk's robe bowed to them. "Welcome, Mr. Midoriya, Miss Hatsume. I am Hekei Tengei, I shall be your waiter today. Please, right this way. Mr. Chisaki is waiting for you."

Izuku nodded, feeling a bit flustered. He was still getting used to people knowing his name and who he was just by looking at him. Fame was a funny thing, and Izuku hoped he would find a way to have some anonymity in the years to come. Mei just accepted that people knew who she was; her notoriety came from both her talkativeness during interviews and a growing number of online video compilations of supposedly funny things she said on TV. Izuku found those insulting, Mei found them hilarious.

Chisaki was dressed rather more formally, making Izuku feel rather underdressed. He had on a business suit and tie, along with his customary gloves and medical mask. He stood as they approached, bowing slightly. "So good of you to join me today. Please, have a seat. Lunch is on me."

"Izuku and I are really rich now, we can afford to buy lunch," Mei declared.

Izuku coughed. "Um, Mei, that's not really polite to tell people."

"Why? I don't want him to think he has to buy food because this is an expensive place," Mei said, sitting down and grabbing a menu.

"I see the rumors about you are true," Chisaki observed. "You are a most unique young woman. And both of you are wonderfully quirkless."

That comment made Mei freeze, gripping her menu with both hands so tightly that it crumpled.

"That's...a sensitive subject," Izuku said quietly, his metal arm clenching into a fist.

"I mean no offense," Chasaki said smoothly as Mei slowly set her ruined menu down. "I think the world would be a much better place without quirks. You know of Eri's condition, but think of the MLA and crime in general. Would not the world be a safer place if criminals did not possess such dangerous quirks? In the Before Times, crime rates were low, comparable even to All Might during his prime."

"Quirks are good! All of my friends but Izuku have quirks and they use them to help people," Mei huffed.

"Yes, I agree the MLA is wrong, and quirks do need to be controlled, but that's the world we live in; one filled with quirks. There's nothing wrong with quirks, just what people do with them," Izuku said, taking Mei's hand in his and squeezing.

"Perhaps," Chisaki agreed. "But let us order lunch. The soba is quite good."

They made their orders to the waiter, and Izuku took a moment to look around the restaurant. There were only a few people there, quietly dining at their own tables. One pair of men in business suits stood out to Izuku, as one was a tiny dwarf, and the other a hulking, muscular man with sunken knuckles. Had he been a hero at one point? Uraraka and Sato's hands looked like that these days, even with healing from Recovery Girl.

"What about the babies you are making?" Mei suddenly demanded.

Chisaki started, nearly spilling his cup of tea on himself. "Oh, right. That's your term for inventions, is it not?"

"Yes! Izuku told me you had a way to shut down quirks like Mr. Izawa can! That would be very helpful in fighting the MLA or other bad guys!" Mei said eagerly.

"I have a method, but it is laborious and time consuming. I confess, I asked you here to inquire about your own ways of removing a quirk," Chisaki explained. "And the MLA has been...interfering… in my experimentation."

Izuku frowned. "Our own ways? We just build devices that counter quirks. Like the anti-acid foam we used at the Sports Festival against our classmate Ashido."

"Or the flamethrower against Iceman!" Mei added. "It is very cute."

"Hmmm," Chisaki said, fiddling with his mask. He'd taken it off to drink and eat, but kept it looped about one ear. It was odd, but Izuku was too polite to remark on that. "But then, how did you remove your own quirk?"

Mei froze, her eyes going very wide. She looked to Izuku, panic stricken, and he put one arm around her while setting his metal hand on the table. "Just what do you mean?" he growled.

"It's obvious, even if no one else seems to have noticed," Chisaki said, replacing his mask and now fiddling with his gloves. He never seemed to be able to totally sit still, always touching, tugging, or rubbing something. "Mei Hatsume was born with a quirk. The records my informants have retrieved are clear. For some reason, she seems to have removed it. I presumed it was because you shared my views: that quirks are dangerous, aberrant things that must be controlled."

"Izuku didn't like it," Mei whispered. "I don't have it any more."

"What?" a stab of grief so sharp it cut like a dagger pierced Izuku's heart. "Mei, no! I loved your quirk, it was wonderful! I-"

"But you said you loved me without my quirk," Mei croaked, tears filling her eyes.

"I do! But I loved you when you had it. If you could get your quirk back, I would celebrate, Mei! But we know that's impossible…" Izuku caught himself, looking up at Chisaki, who was now scowling, tugging hard on his gloves.

"So you don't hate quirks then? Despite the pain they've caused you? I thought you were trying to prove that we would all be better off with no quirks," Chisaki growled.

"Of course not! How would you even go about removing quirks?" Izuku demanded. "You could try the drugs the MLA distributes, those seem to damage and remove quirks."

"You could, but those are...flawed. I have a better way," Chisaki said. He snapped his fingers, and one of the patrons from the bar stood, bringing over a box.

The bottom fell out of Izuku's stomach as he looked around, suddenly aware of a few things. First, was that they had found no drugs at Feel Good. And the second was that the MLA had no reason to distribute drugs that could damage quirks. Chisaki, however, seemed to. And the yakuza were famous for their connection to the production and distribution of drugs.

From the box, Chisaki removed a small brass cylinder.

"A bullet?" Mei said, scowling. "I don't like those. They are not very cute. They're just for killing people."

"Ah, but not these," Chisaki said, holding the bullet up to the light. Izuku saw that it ended in a needle point, and was more of a dart than a traditional bullet.

Izuku swallowed, and his mind began to race. What Chisaki had here was illegal, and very dangerous. If he was showing Izuku and Mei this, it meant that he had no intention of letting them go afterwards. He was trying to lure them in, to convince them to join his side. Izuku would never do that, but he realized now that this restaurant had to be full of yakuza. If he fought here, now, against Chisaki's quirk and all these thugs, he might win. But he could also get Mei seriously injured, or worse. There had to be another way out.

"What's it do?" Mei asked, reaching over and taking the bullet from Chisaki.

Chisaki was eyeing Izuku suspiciously, so he forced himself to look interested. "Can this bullet remove a quirk, or suppress it? That would be very handy in a fight, a good non-lethal option. If we'd had these against Geten or All For One, it could have made things much easier."

That seemed to make Chisaki relax slightly, and he stopped tugging on the fingers of his gloves. "Yes. That's one possible application. But I have run into...production issues. I had hoped to gain your expertise to assist me."

"How would you make something like this?" Mei said, scratching at her head. "I've studied quirks a little bit, but you'd have to find a way to disrupt the QR.16 gene. The only way I've found to do that is by using Mr. Aizawa's quirk, but I haven't figured out how to duplicate it yet. You'd need a sample of his quirk, maybe even tissue samples to make it work."

Those words sent a chill down Izuku's spine. "Eri," he said, adding to his growing sense of horror. "You're using Eri's quirk somehow."

That seemed to impress Chisaki. "Indeed. Her quirk reverses time. At first, it was just biological matter, but with practice she's learned to do inorganic substances as well. Her control is...erratic. But, by studying it, we've learned how to apply it in various ways. Including the manufacture of these bullets."

The wounds on Eri. The way she'd spoken of quirks. This man, the one Izuku had thought he could trust...he was a monster. He had to make this right. Somehow. "So you want us to help you with these bullets?" Izuku asked, trying to stall for time. "Create a way to erase quirks from villains?"

"As a start," Chisaki said, folding his hands before his face. "Tell me, what have quirks done for the world? They have given rise to individuals like All For One. Tyrants, who rule over the world thanks to their power. It has created the madmen in the MLA, who wish for quirks to run wild. Have you heard of the Quirk Singularity Theory?"

"That?" Mei asked. "That is a stupid theory. Quirks do not work that way. They are like human DNA, they recombine and mutate, but there is a limit to what they can do."

"What of All For One?" Chisaki countered. "He harvested quirks, recombined them. Had you not stopped him, one day he could have destroyed humanity. We must be set free from the tyranny of quirks, to when we were human, not men playing god. Quirks must be eradicated."

Mei went pale, and looked to Izuku. He could see her fear and worry. She was starting to think that perhaps he hated quirks as much as Chisaki. He had to put an end to this.

"Could you excuse us for a moment?" Isuku said, taking Mei's hand. "We need to talk privately. What you're suggesting...it's intriguing. I was bullied my whole life for not having a quirk, so I'm sympathetic. But I think Mei and I need to talk alone."

For what felt like an eternity, Chisaki did not speak, his eyes flicking back and forth between Izuku and Mei. Around them, chairs creaked, and Izuku could feel the eyes of the room upon them. He heard the sounds of knuckles cracking, and for a terrible second, he thought Chisaki would order them taken or killed.

But then the yakuza boss' eyes crinkled in a smile. "Of course. I understand you two have much to discuss. I'll be over at the bar."

Chisaki stood and walked away from the table, and Izuku sensed those around them relaxing. Izuku took a deep breath, then leaned in close to Mei. "Don't panic, Mei. Smile and nod, OK?"

A crooked smile fixed itself on Mei's face, and she nodded, but Izuku could feel her hand trembling in his. "Izuku?" her voice was soft and breathy, and he could see panic forming in her eyes.

"Mei, I want you to know, I've always loved you. Quirk and all. When you lost it, it was one of the most painful things I'd ever experienced. Maybe worse than losing my own arm. It was...it was a part of you."

"Izuku, what are-"

"Mei, I need you to listen. We are in terrible, terrible danger. What Chisaki has shown us, told us...it's enough to lock him up forever. And...and he's performing human experimentation on Eri."

There was a sharp gasp from Mei, and Izuku tightened his grip on her hand. "Smile. Don't panic." Mei nodded, blinking rapidly. "I have to go with Chisaki. He's not going to let us walk away from this."

"Izuku, no! You-"

"Shhh." Izuku pressed his forehead to Mei's, reaching up to smooth away a strand of messy hair from her face. "It's alright. I'm going to go with Chisaki, because you're going to save me, right?"

"What? No, Izuku, you're the hero, I just...I'm not…" Mei whimpered, apparently unable to continue.

"You go back to UA. Tell our friends what's happened. Find Officer Wairo. He's connected to Chisaki somehow, maybe he'll know where Chisaki will take me."

"I can track your arm!" Mei hissed, grabbing Izuku's hand in both of hers. "I put a special baby in it!"

"Perfect. But I have to go fix my mistake, Mei."

"What? You didn't-"

"They warned us, Mei. Iida, Hari, even Endeavor told me to follow protocol. And I didn't listen. But it's OK. Because you'll save me, right?"

Mei nodded frantically.

"Ok. Just wait. I'm going to talk to Chisaki, then you're going to walk out of here, all right?"

Slowly, Izuku stood, feeling the eyes of every man in the restaurant on him. He carefully stepped over to where Chisaki was sitting, an untouched glass of saki at his elbow. The bartender gave Izuku a gap toothed grin; he was missing teeth, and his nose had been broken more than once. A yakuza thug.

"I think I understand what you're doing," Izuku said quietly. "You're using Eri's DNA to manufacture these bullets, and probably the tainted Trigger variant as well, aren't you?"

Chisaki scratched at his mask, then turned slightly to face Izuku. "I am. With them, I shall remake the world, and restore it and humanity to their former status."

"I see. I understand. Mei...she'll need some convincing. I'm going to send her back to our lab, to get our own work on quirks. She's managed to isolate the QR.16 gene, and identified what a normal DNA sequence looks in a base human, like...like me."

"That would be useful," Chisaki agreed. He scratched at his neck, frowning. "I can't just let her go alone, though. This is a dangerous part of town. She could get hurt."

Izuku's heart thundered in his chest, but he nodded. "Alright. They can help bring things back. I'll let Mei know. Don't worry, she won't try to run off without me."

"Oh, I know. And you'd never put her in a situation where she could be hurt, would you, Midoriya?" Chisaki asked, his tone soft and polite. But the implication was clear.

Izuku shook his head, and went over to Mei. Two thugs stood at Chisaki's gesture, flanking him. "Mei, you're going to go back and get our babies from the workshop. These...gentlemen, will go with you."

Mei looked around, clearly half a step from total panic. Izuku leaned in as if to kiss her, then whispered, "Did you bring your babies? The ones you showed to Mr. Azara?"

"Of course," Mei whispered back. "They're for bad guys."

"Well. When you're far enough away, these are bad guys. Use them, and get out of here. OK? Remember, I'm counting on you to save me."

With a final nod, Mei grabbed her purse, then scurried out of the restaurant, the two goons hurrying behind her. Izuku turned to Chisaki and made himself smile. "Well, shall we?"

"Indeed." Chisaki stood, and with him the rest of the men in the restaurant. "Bring the car around, Nemoto."

They had just stepped outside when there was a distant explosion, then screaming. Chisaki snarled, and jerked a hand forward. "Find out what that was!"

Two of the yakuza, one a giant with arms like tree trunks, the other the waiter, ran off. Izuku stood, sweat trickling down his back as Chisaki began to pace back and forth like a caged beast. The thugs returned a few minutes later, carrying with them the two men that had gone with Mei, both covered with burns.

"That bitch! She dropped some sort of stun grenade, then hit us with a flamethrower," the less maimed of the men coughed. "Sorry, boss, we tried to stop her but-"

The man fell silent as Chisaki slowly removed his gloves. "You failed me. You failed our purpose. You know what the price of failure is."

The two men began to sob and gibber as they were pressed down to the sidewalk, right up until Chisaki's hand reached out, his fingers touching their foreheads. The two men screamed as their bodies were remade, warping and combining with the pavement. Blood, bile, and other bodily fluids leaked out of the horrifying amaginations, but Chisaki stepped back before it could touch him. Someone handed him a bottle of hand sanitiser, and he began to wash his hands.

Chisaki rounded on Izuku, fury burning in his eyes. The veneer of calm civility had vanished, leaving behind the enraged monster beneath. Even then, his fury was a cold, calculating thing. "What did you do?"

"I sent her to safety," Izuku answered serenely, a sense of relief flooding through him. "You said it yourself, remember? I'd never put Mei in a situation where she could be hurt."

Chisaki's hand shot out, grabbing Izuku's arm. He tried to jerk back, tried to activate his laser module, but it simply vanished to smoke, then fell to the ground, broken into pieces.

"You tried to play me," Chisaki hissed. "That was a mistake. You WILL help me remake the world, willingly or not." He stepped back, taking a handkerchief from one of his men and wiping his hands again before putting the gloves back on. "Take him! The girl will come for him. We just have to convince her the only way to get him back is to cooperate."

A hood was shoved roughly over Izuku's head, and he smelled a sharp, acrid chemical stench. He gagged and tried to hold his breath, but instead he found himself growing dizzy. As consciousness faded, he felt at peace.

This time, Mei was safe.


	55. The Most Important

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_56\. The Most Important_

_When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,_

_He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside._

_But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail._

_For the female of the species is more deadly than the male._

_-The Female of the Species, Rudyard Kipling_

Mei ran through the streets, clutching her baby to her chest, blindly following the map in her mind. The bad guys had Izuku. They had not had any cute babies, they had lied. They were scary bad men, just like the MLA, just like the Hand Man, just like the Mask. And now they had Izuku, and their baby was broken by the bad men and Mei did not know what to do.

In the background, Mei heard screams and cries of panic. People reacted that way to her babies sometimes, but Mei did not put her baby away. There could be more bad men, and the flamethrower was very practical for stopping them. But it hadn't saved Izuku. Not even the cute baby she had made just for him, the one that reminded her how much he loved her, had saved him. Mei's babies were useless if they could not save Izuku. That left only one thing: her friends.

The people around Mei continued to make noise and scream, but they got out of the way when she pointed the flamethrower at them so that was alright. Could she go to the police? No, they were bad men too, they had taken away Fire Beard Endeavor who was Fire and Ice Shoto's dad and been mean to Joke Man Togata and made Sister Hari cry. But she had to save Izuku.

She could not save Izuku. Her babies had not worked. She needed her friends.

A person did not move out of Mei's way, instead running towards her. This person looked funny, like a cow. Mei had seen Cow Lady before, but she had been bigger then and now she was small.

"Hey you! Stop right there, or-oh my God, Mei Hatsume?! Sweetie, put the gun down, what's going on?"

"Go away!" Mei shouted, planting her feet and trying to point her baby at Cow Lady. Mei had remembered now, she was a Hero. Heroes had been there to hurt Fire Beard and Joke Boy and make Hari cry and that made them bad people too. "I need to get my friends!"

"Sweetie, you're scaring everyone," Cow Lady said, putting her hands up and moving forward. She was still small, but Mei was ready if she got bigger. She could run away while Cow Lady got big and find her friends. "Remember me? I'm Mount Lady. I was there, at Kamino. You kids saved my life. Please, put the gun down, let's talk."

"No talking!" Mei cried, her arms shaking. That was right, Cow Lady had been there and fought the Mask and Hand Man. She had tried to help Mei. Was she a good hero like Lie Teacher Aizawa and Fire Hair Burnin? "Are you a good hero? Or are you one of the bad ones that likes the MLA and hates Endeavor and my friends?!"

Cow Lady paused, grimacing. She looked around, but the street was now empty and that seemed to make her happy. "Look, I'm on you kids' side. What happened to Endeavor was wrong. Being in the MLA should be a crime, and he was just doing his job. Yeah, Feel Good was rough, but I've been in bad spots too. Sometimes there is no good answer. So yeah, I'm one of the good heroes."

"I need help," Mei whispered. "Izuku is in trouble. The bad men have him, the yakuza. He told me I had to save him."

"Son of a- OK, we'll need to call the police straight away, this is-"

"NO!" Mei cried, waving her flamethrower frantically. "Not the police! One of them is with the yakuza! He helped them before, just like the police helped the MLA!"

"Crap, dirty cops? That would fit the pattern. Ok. Let's get you to UA on the double." And then the Cow Lady grew to be big, like she had been before. She bent down, picking Mei up. "This had better be worth it, the road damage is going to cost me a fortune. Hold on kid!"

And then they were running, the wind blowing in Mei's face. She should have worn her eyes. That way, she could see.

Her eyes. Izuku had said he loved her eyes before. But Mei had thought Izuku did not like her eyes, because he did not like quirks because he did not have one. But if he loved Mei even if she had her eyes back...She thought of baby 81, still back in her old laboratory. But no. Her eyes didn't matter. What mattered was getting Izuku back. He was what was most important. More than babies, more than friends, more than even Mei. Izuku was what was important.

The big Cow Lady was fast, and they soon arrived at UA. Alarms blared as the Cow Lady jumped over the wall around the school, but she shrunk as soon they were inside.

"What in tarnation!" Gun Teacher ran out, holding his babies high in the air. "Mount Lady? Hatsume? What in the name of Sam Hill is goin' on round here?"

"No time Snipe, Midoriya's been captured," Cow Lady panted. "Hatsume says she barely got away."

"What? Mei, what do you mean, Midoriya's been rustled?" Gun Teacher demanded, bending down to look Mei in the eyes. It was hard, because he had on the mask for when you worked with bad chemicals, but Mei knew that social skills were important and tried to look him in the eyes.

"We went to meet with the yakuza to stop the MLA and then they said they wanted to get rid of quirks and Izuku told me I had to save him and I fought the bad men but then there were more bad men and I ran away because Izuku said so and we have to go rescue him!"

"The yakuza!? Jerusalem Crickets what were you kids thinking!? No, don't answer that. Let me get Aizawa on the horn."

Mei ignored him, and ran off towards where Sister was. That made Gun Teacher swear and Cow Lady cry out, and they both ran after her, but she was very fast thanks to practicing with Invisible Girl Toru and her other friends and they did not catch her. Mei ran all the way back to Home and sprinted up the steps where she ran right into Weightless Ochako.

"The bad men have Izuku!" Mei gasped, grabbing on to Weightless and shaking her. "We have to rescue him!"

"I, what? Izuku? How? Where? I- KATSUKI GET OUT HERE!"

"WHAT!" Explosions Bakugo demanded, sticking his head out from the kitchen. "I AM RIGHT HERE WOMAN, WHAT ARE YOU-"

"Izuku's been kidnapped!" Weightless bellowed, running into Home. "Everyone up! Izuku's in trouble!"

And then all her friends came, almost before Gun Teacher and Cow Girl caught up with her.

"Oh hell," Gun Teacher muttered as he stood on the steps, hat in hand. "We're in for it now."

"Mei, what happened?" Sister demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Are you ok? Where's Izuku?"

Tears filled Meis eyes, and she hung her head. "We lied to you. We did not go on a date. We went to meet the Glove Man from the yakuza because he said he could make cute babies to stop the MLA's quirks and help get Endeavor out of jail."

"Oh God," Sister groaned. "Of course you did. Christ, don't tell me you met with Chisaki?"

"Izuku got taken by OVERHAUL?" Gun Teacher demanded. He stuck his hat back on his head, then said several words Mei was certain that teachers were not supposed to say. "I'm callin' Nezu. This is bad."

"I warned Izuku," Iida said, his voice scary and his glasses flashing in a way that made Mei want to cry even more. "He thought that Chisaki was seeking to redeem himself, but I knew he was lying."

"We have to go rescue Izuku!" Mei pleaded. "I know we were dumb and did a bad thing but please don't let him get hurt! You saved me, you have to save him!"

"Darlin', it ain't that simple," Gun Teacher said with a heavy sigh. "We can't just form a posse and break into a yakuza base. Y'all are all on probation and-"

"It is that simple," Explosions growled. "We're gonna find where Izuku is, and kick the teeth in of anyone who gets in our way."

"Son, if you kids try what you did at Kamino, Midoriya is gonna wind up dead, or worse. We've got to call the cops, get a warrant and-"

"NO COPS!" Mei shrieked. "The bad cop took Chisaki the first time! The cops work for him!"

"It's true," Sister said, sounding scary. "There was a corrupt cop who took Chisaki away. We go to the police, they're going to warn them we're coming. And I don't trust many other heroes. What about her? Can we trust Mount Lady? She's a primadonna glory hound! What if she's in with the yakuza just like Slindin' Go was in with the MLA!"

"Now hold on, just because I need to pose for the cameras to pay the bills does not mean I'm a sell out, honey!" Cow Lady argued. "Look, you need some muscle on this job? I'm in. I don't give a rats ass if I get in as much hot water as Endeavor did, they can lock me up! You kids saved my neck at Kaminio, and that means I owe you one. I can get Kamui Woods and Dead Arms here too; we've formed our own Team Up after seeing how well it worked out for you kids. They were at Kamino too, with All Might and-"

"Me!" Joke Man appeared out of nowhere like he did sometimes. "I heard what happened and ran over from my dorms. I already called Sir Nighteye. He's on his way. We might be able to help track down the yakuza."

"No more talking!" Mei said, waving her arms frantically. "We have to go save Izuku! NOW!"

"Mei, it's OK," Pink Ashido said, giving Mei a hug. "We can't just run off with no plan. I mean, usually that's Izuku's thing, so we'll have to come up with one on our own, but we're going to save him, OK?"

"Ok," Mei said, tears filling her eyes. It was going to be OK. It had to be OK. Without Izuku, what could she do? He was the most important.

And to get him back, Mei would kill every last one of the badmen. She would burn the city to the ground. She would tear the world apart, and put it back together. Because she had to get Izuku back.


	56. In the Presence of Mine Enemies

_In the Presence of Mine Enemies_

_If anyone causes one of these children to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea._

_-Jesus of Nazareth, The Gospel of Mark_

Consciousness crept up on Izuku slowly, his head pounding and a feeling of dizziness and nausea washing over him. He groaned softly, shifting and moving.

"It's ok. Here. Drink this."

Something was pressed against Izuku's lips, and he coughed and sputtered, but sucked down the liquid anyway. It turned out to be simple water, and with a gasp and groan, his eyes fluttered open. He found the concerned face of Eri, peering down at him.

"You shouldn't have made daddy angry. When he gets angry, he hurts things," she said quietly.

Izuku closed his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "He hurts you, doesn't he."

"Only if I'm bad," Eri whispered. "But I'm not bad anymore. Not since he explained to me how I can be the good guy. Like you."

"No one should hurt you, Eri, you're just a little girl." Izuku moaned, and slowly sat up. He looked around, blinking. He was in a dimly lit room, the only illumination was a small nightlight. But it was easy enough to see where he was: in Eri's bedroom. The bed Izuku was curled up on had pink sheets with a distinctive pattern. After a moment, Izuku spread it out, and found Mei's face, complete with goggles, staring up at him. He felt sick.

He looked around the room, with its shelves and dressers, and saw himself looking back. Action figures. Books. A model of the Ultra Armor with a Mei doll riding in it. This girl worshipped Izuku and Mei, and they had failed her.

"Eri, I'm so sorry. I should have saved you," Izuku said, reaching a hand out to touch her. She jerked away, looking frightened.

"I am safe! Daddy keeps me safe! Don't touch me! I might...I might disappear you! I...I'm a monster!" Eir turned away, sobbing softly.

With a grunt of pain for his aching head, Izuku climbed out of the bed and put his arms around Eri. She gasped and tried to pull away, but he didn't let her even with only one arm. "You're just a little girl. I'm not afraid of you, Eri. Your daddy, no, Chisaki, he's hurting you, isn't he? When was the last time someone touched you?"

Eri started to tremble and tried to push Izuku away. "When I made my old daddy disappear! I don't-"

"Shh. It's OK. I'm a hero, remember? I'll save you, Eri. I promise. I'll take you somewhere where no one will ever hurt you again," Izuku promised.

Eri sagged against Izuku, the fight going out of her. "But daddy has to hurt me. I was bad. And...and that's how we'll make the quirks go away."

Izuku felt himself stiffen, then began to rock and hum, like Mei did. "Shh. It's OK. Quirk's aren't bad, Eri, not even yours. I've always wanted a quirk, you know? I always wished I could have one, growing up."

"But why? Quirks are bad. They're dirty, like me," Eri said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in Izuku's torn and stained shirt. "That's why daddy has to make me clean."

Izuku looked down, and his stomach turned as he saw the bandages all over Eri's body. She was dressed only in a smock now, and he could clearly feel the damage all over her arms, legs, and chest. "He's doing something to you?"

Eri nodded, sniffing. "He makes the medicine to make people better. To get rid of their quirks. He needs me to do it. My blood, and skin, and stuff."

Rage started to burn away in Izuku's gut. He had thought Chisaki a good man. Someone who had taken in an orphan rejected by the world. Someone trying to reform themselves, to make the world a better place. But that wasn't what was going on at all.

"You're not dirty, Eri. Hey, look at me."

Eri looked up at Izuku, flinching slightly. He raised his hand, gently cupping her face. "You're beautiful, just the way you are. There's nothing wrong with you. You just need to learn how to control your quirk, because you're so strong. But don't ever let anyone tell you you're worthless. People told me that my entire life, because I didn't have a quirk. Do you think I'm worthless?"

Eri quickly shook her head. "No! You're of the good heroes. You're clean. You're quirkless. Not like one of the other ones!"

"Eri, you know Mei used to have a quirk, right?" Izuku asked gently.

That made Eri freeze. "No...no she can't! She can't be like me! She's a good girl! Her daddy doesn't have to hurt her, because she's clean!"

"Quirks aren't dirty, Eri. Do you remember Shinso? Iida? Do you think they're bad because they have quirks? They were nice, right?"

"Y-yes," Eri whispered, tears trickling down her face. "B-but t-they were dirty, they were bad, because, because…"

"People aren't dirty because they have quirks, Eri. You're not dirty because you have a quirk. You're just a little girl. No one should hurt you, not ever."

"What if I'm bad?" Eri whimpered, shoving Izuku away and crawling across the bed to the end. "What if I make someone disappear again?"

Izuku swallowed. "Then...then I'll help you. I'll make everything OK. I'll take you somewhere you can be safe, where you'll have a daddy who loves you, and a mommy who will help you when you're scared."

That seemed to get through to Eri. "I...I miss my mommy...But...but she said...she said…"

"Shhh. It's OK," Izuku said, drawing close to Eri and wrapping her in another hug. "I'll save you, Eri. Chisaki will never hurt you again,"

"Promise?" Eri asked, her voice shaking. "Daddy's really strong. I don't want him to be angry at me."

"I promise, Eri. No matter what, I'll-"

The door opened, and a switch flipped on, flooding the room with bright light. Izuku tucked Eri close to him, trying to shield her with his body as he squinted at the figure looming in the door.

"I thought I told you not to touch him," Chisaki growled. He no longer wore his business suit, instead wearing an odd beaked mask and a purple feathered mantle, making him look like a humanoid raven.

"Daddy I'm sorry! I'll be good, I promise, I didn't-"

"She was crying. I'm the one who hugged her. She tried to pull away. Seems like no one's touched her in a long time," Izuku snarled, standing slowly and pushing Eri behind him. She sobbed and ran to her bed, hiding under the covers as if Mei's image could protect her.

"That's foolish. You've seen what she can do. She's dangerous. A menace. A reflection of what is to come, if quirks are not eliminated from this world," Chisaki said, stepping into the room.

Izuku fell into a fighting stance, raising his arm.

"Oh don't be idiotic," Chisaki tisked. He held up one hand. It was ungloved. "With my quirk, I could end you with a touch. Such power, it shouldn't be held by any man. Not even me. Eri knows that. Don't you?"

"Yes, daddy," Eri whimpered, a quivering lump under the covers.

Chisaki chuckled. "Don't worry. Daddy's in a good mood. At last, everything's coming together. You'll get some ice cream for this."

"No ice cream," Eri said, her face peeking out from under her blankets.

"What? But you love ice cream," Chisaki growled.

"Don't hurt Power Suit. Please, daddy?"

"Oh, that. Don't worry. Daddy has big plans for Izuku Midoriya. Big plans indeed." Chisaki turned to Izuku. "Come. It is time you saw the world we can create together."

Reluctantly, Izuku left, looking back at Eri. "I'll be back for you. I promise," he said just as the door shut behind him.

"A foolish promise," Chisaki said with a shake of his head. "She's a menace, Midoriya. A tool to be used to further our ends. Besides, she's happy enough now."

Izuku didn't argue. "Tell me exactly what you're doing here."

"You seem to have already sussed out at least part of the truth. Or at least, the timing of your partner's exit from our earlier meeting was serendipitous," Chisaki said, turning and walking down the hall, his thugs trailing behind them.

"The drugs are yours," Izuku said, matching his pace to walk beside Chisaki. "You engineered them to amplify quirks at first, then damage or even destroy them."

"That is correct. Of course, they were very similar to the drugs the Americans have been making and selling, At first glance, it's a standard derivation of Trigger, though it's not as powerful as what the Americans can produce."

"But yours is different, it's not just Trigger," Izuku said. "That's why the MLA was seizing your drug shipments, fighting your goons. How Kurono got captured: it wasn't just a turf war, it was a war of ideology."

"Indeed. And it's a war I hope to have your support in," Chisaki stated.

"I'll never help a monster like you," Izuku snarled, unable to contain his anger and frustration at the thought of Eri's panicked sobs.

Chisaki nodded, looking down at his gloved hands. "I am still a monster; unclean. Mine shall be the last quirk to die. When the work is done, when the world is cleansed of quirks once and for all, then I too shall drink of my own cup, and purge this scourge from the world."

"You're just like the MLA!" Izuku spat.

"I am nothing like those deranged lunatics!" Chisaki hissed, whirling on Izuku, his fingers trembling at his side. Izuku took a step back, swallowing. "I seek to bring order! To cleanse this world! They spread only their filthy lies!"

Izuku met Chisaki's eyes. "You're two sides of the same coin."

"Yes...yes perhaps," Chisaki mused, rubbing at his beak-like mask. "But one side brings salvation, and the other? Destruction. We are at opposite ends of the spectrum."

Izuku did not speak. He did not wish to set Chisaki further on edge. He had to wait for Mei and the others. What followed was a twisting series of corridors, and soon Izuku was utterly lost. His sense of direction had never been good, and here in this maze with no real point of reference, he was hopelessly confused.

At last, Chisaki led him into a room with a collection of medical and bioengineering equipment. Izuku recognized centrifuges and microscopes, but there was plenty of other equipment he had no inkling as to the purpose of. Several men and women in lab coats were working quietly, and they bowed to Chisaki as he entered.

One pulled down his face mask and Izuku recognized Kurono. "Yes, boss?"

"Just showing our young guest the facilities. Care to explain our work here?" Chisaki said.

"Of course. Come. I shall show you our great work."

Izuku followed Kurono, walking past humming machines and dripping chemicals. "This is the lab where we make our Trigger variant. We call it Overhaul ourselves, in honor of our leader. The drug enhances quirks at first; it's nearly as potent as the American version of the drug. But as it does so, well, there's a side effect."

"The drug works using a substance we've synthesized from Eri's own DNA: at first, it speeds up the production of QF, also known as Quirk Factor, by the QR.16 genes in the subject's body. This enhances their quirk, making it more powerful."

"If the user takes only a single dose, usually that's all the drug does. But it's highly addictive for most users: they need more. And so they take a second dose, and a third. Few take more than three. The drug slowly builds up in their system, and as it does so, it becomes more potent. Finally, it reaches a critical threshold, and the secret compound activates."

"This compound, based on Eri's quirk, attacks the QR.16 gene. It erases the subject's quirk, removing it from their body."

"But it kills people!" Izuku protested. "It doesn't just remove their quirks!"

"It mostly kills those who's quirks dramatically alter their physiology in some way," Kurono explained. "Heteromorphic types, or mutants. Their bodies try to revert to baseline humans, but they have alien organs and biochemistry, and they end up dying as a result as their own body eats itself alive. A fitting end to such deviants."

A chill ran through Izuku. Heteromorphic type quirks were by far the most common. Mei. Hari. Ashido. Shoji. Tsu. Ojiro. Hagakure. Jiro. Shiro. Iida. All were heteromorphic quirk users. If this drug got into their system, it could kill them.

"But the drug only works on people who take it," Izuku found himself saying. "You can't hope to destroy the quirks of everyone with just that."

"We thought about putting it in the water supply," Kurono said with a shrug. "That could work. But we'd need too large a quantity."

"That's what we need you and Hatsume for," Chisaki explained. "We're at a dead end. Perhaps a genetically engineered plague. Or an aerosol drug that could be dispersed over wide areas. I'm not picky. But if you could come up with something, we could end the MLA. And then quirks, all over the world. Think of it! The Earth as it should be, once more! Humanity as it was meant to be! Not headed down this evolutionary dead end the MLA thinks will bring salvation."

"But you both have quirks! Aren't you worried that you'll lose yours?" Izuku said, trying desperately to stall for time.

"A sacrifice I am willing to make," Kurono said with a shrug. "Better than the chaos that is inevitable if humanity continues down this path."

"Don't you see, Midoriya?" Chisaki demanded. "We are trying to save the world! To prevent the Quirk Singularity, to return humanity to their proper course!"

"Maybe," Izuku said, looking about and trying to find a way to stall for time. This was madness. "But drugs? I mean, that can only get us so far. And those bullets can only administer one dose at a time."

Chisaki looked to Kurono. "Show him. Show him how we make my masterpiece."

"Right this way." Kurono led them to a locked back room. He keyed in a combination, and they were taken inside of a small chamber, which held a locked safe. Kurono spun the dial, then opened the safe. Inside were half a dozen small cases, one of which Kurono retrieved and opened. It contained eight bullets.

"You showed me these already," Izuku said, puzzled. "How is this any different than the drugs?"

"These are nothing like the drug," Kurno explained. "That takes time to work. But inside of these is a needle, which delivers a shot of the pure, concentrated substance we derive from Eri's cells."

"One hit from this, and a person's quirk is gone forever. Their own DNA re-written," Chisaki said, taking out a bullet and holding it up to the light. "It won't even kill a mutant type. I've put a little something of myself in these. It remakes their entire body. A painful process, but, well. Perhaps it is best if you see. Let's test the latest batch on the prisoner."

"Prisoner?" Izuku asked, his blood running cold.

"Not one of your friends," Chisaki chuckled. "From, shall we say, a rival of ours."

"The MLA?" Izuku guessed as they led him out of the laboratory.

"No, but close. We offered to ally with this group, for they too want to shatter society. But, well, I suppose they too are corrupted by their lust for quirks. You will see."

Izuku followed Chisaki to a room guarded by the men who had brought back the men who had been tailing Mei.

"Rappa. Tengai. How fares our prisoner?" Chisaki asked as they approached.

"Mouthy as ever," the giant, Rappa, complained.

"He is quiet at the moment. He seems to have run out of energy after his last 'playtime' with Rappa," Tengai said with a sigh.

"Bastard didn't even put up a proper fight," Rappa grumbled.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Chisaki asked, his tone suddenly full of menace.

"No! I swear! Just roughed him up a little, like you said boss!" Rappa said, stepping back, his voice full of fear.

"Hmph. Very well. Open the door," Chisaki ordered.

"Sure boss. You throwing in the one armed runt?" Rappa asked as he hurriedly fished out a key. "He wouldn't put up much of a fight, not without that arm or that suit of his."

"No, he's an honored guest. I wish to show him what the future holds. We won't have need of your playmate for much longer, Rappa," Chisaki said as the door swung open.

Inside lay a man Izuku recognized only from his friends' descriptions.

"Spinner?" Izuku asked, stepping back from the green skinned lizard man. His face was battered and bruised, but he still wore the same outfit: A red scarf and a black mask, similar to those the Hero Killer Stain had worn.

Spinner looked up, frowning. "Well, they got you too, huh? Shit. If these assholes are capturing heroes now, what the hell chance do I have of getting rescued?"

"None at all," Chisaki said.

Kurono took out a gun, then removed a single quirk destroying bullet from the case. He checked the slide of the gun and clip to ensure it was empty, then placed the bullet inside.

"Finally. Getting sick of getting beat up every day," Spinner wheezed. "I'm already broken, but my comrades in arms will come for you, yakuza. You will rue the day you crossed the League of Villains."

"This won't do," Chisaki sighed. "He's too injured for this to be a proper show." Removing one glove, Chisaki reached out to touch Spinner, who gasped and shied away though he had not flinched from the gun. But Chisaki touched the rival villain's arm, and Spinner vanished to mist. But then Chisaki passed his hand back over the mist, and it reformed into Spinner. Now, however, his bruises were gone, and he was whole and healthy.

"What the-" Spinner said, looking down at his hands in shock. Before he could recover though, Kurono fired.

Spinner screamed in pain, then kept right on screaming. His body began to extrude a green mist as his skin seemed to boil. Izuku jerked back in horror, but then leaned forward in sudden morbid fascination. Out of the slimy goop, a man emerged. A young teen with dark black hair and the shadow of a mustache and beard on his face. His eyes were dark brown, and his skin a natural pale color of someone from old Japan.

"What...what have you done to me?" Spinner gasped, looking down at his hands in horror.

"Hose him off," Chisaki ordered as he turned and left. "Clean him up. I want his body to be clearly recognizable when we start sending bits of it to The League of Villains. They will know the price of crossing the Shie Hassaikai. And get me something to wash my hands with!"

Izuku glanced back one more time at the quivering man on the floor, then hurried after Chisaki after a glance from Kurono, leaving behind the sobbing wreck of a man who had once been Spinner.

After Tengai brought Chisaki a basin and soap to wash in along with a clean white towel, Chisaki looked up, drying his hands then tugging his gloves back on. "I can't stand the mess that makes. I can't stand uncleanliness. Filth. It disgusts me. As do all quirks."

"Yes boss," Rappa said. "Sorry boss."

"Do not apologize. You will be cleansed in due time," Chisaki assured his subordinate. "Then you will be able to prove once and for all it is you, not your quirk, that makes you the strongest of fighters."

"You're damn right!" Rappa snarled. "We'll prove who the real men are! Not the quirks, but the people inside!"

"Once more, harmony will be restored to the world," Tengai agreed. "We shall walk along the Eightfold Path once more, free of impurity."

Izuku shuddered. These people, they were all insane. In a different way than the MLA, but insane nonetheless. They dreamed of a mad, impossible world. Quirks were a part of this world now. Izuku did not want to play God: he'd known jealousy, and it had taken a great deal of pain for him to become satisfied with who he was. But he'd seen Mei's pain when she lost her quirk. He wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"I'll return you to Eri's room now," Chisaki said. "You seem fond of her. There, you will compose a message to Hatsume. You will tell her to go to the location you specify. My men will retrieve her from there. She will not be harmed. You will help me forge a new world, free of quirks. I even promise to spare your friends. Their quirks will be removed, of course, but they can use your gear to become heroes in the new world."

"I see," Izuku said, his heart heavy.

"And if you fail to comply, I will not do anything to you. You're the noble sort. You'd view punishment inflicted upon yourself as a heroic sacrifice. No, I'll punish Eri. And tell her you could not save her."

A lump grew in Izuku's throat. "And Mei?"

"Will be treated well. You two can share quarters. I find the very idea of sexual intercourse to be revolting, but I am benevolent. You two can mate every hour of the day you're not working on perfecting my cure for all I care. Whatever you desire will be given. Do well enough, and perhaps we can even cure Eri, and I will no longer need to hurt her. You can keep her as a pet. I'm sure she'd enjoy it."

Izuku didn't say anything at first, but when Chisaki glared at him, he nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Then do the smart thing and follow my commands. When the new day dawns, you will be heralded as the greatest hero to ever live: the savior of mankind. Isn't that what you want?"

Izuku nodded mutely. He wanted nothing of the sort, but he knew arguing would result in either Chisaki hurting him, or worse, Eri.

But he would never lure Mei here.

Chisaki put him in Eri's room and closed the door. The little girl ran to him, throwing her arms about him. "Daddy isn't mad?"

"Not at you," Izuku said, smiling. "Good news, Eri. I'm going to be your new big brother. I'll take care of you."

Eri gasped. "You mean it?"

"Yes," Izuku whispered, pulling her close. "Fear not. For I am here."

And he began to rock and hum, singing softly to Eri as he wept.

Now, it was Mei's turn to be a hero.


	57. The Millstone

**_Warning: Due to the site messing up for a few days, it's entirely possible you didn't get to read the last chapter if you've been following this story as it updates. _**

_Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida_

_57\. The Millstone_

_Wrath is no vice when it is inflicted upon the deserving._

_-Akroma, Angel of Wrath_

Bakugo looked down at the sleeping man. He looked almost beatific, sleeping the sleep of the innocent. Which was a damned lie. Fuhai Wairo was one of the crookedest cops alive.

"You sure about this?" Bakugo growled. He'd done it before, but still. It was a line to cross.

"He is the one," Mei's voice answered over the radio. "He knows where Isuku is. Izuku's arm is gone, I can't find him that way. Make the bad man talk, Katsuki. Make him tell us where Izuku is."

"I've got Midnight distracted still. You're in the clear," Shinso's voice added.

Bakugo looked to Uraraka, who was looking a bit green around the gills. She'd been floating Wairo's car for the past 20 minutes. She'd not hurled once. God she was hot. But this wasn't the time for that.

"Let him down," Bakugo said, his fingers twitching.

"Release!"

The car slammed down into the pavement of the back alley, causing Wairo to jerk awake with a start.

"-what? Midnight? Where'd she-"

Bakugo used an explosion to rip the door off the car and bodily hauled Wairo out of the car, flipping him over his shoulder and slamming him onto the broken pavement of the back lot they were in. The older man let out a cry of pain, and Bakugo immediately punched him in the gut.

"Start talking!" Bakugo roared.

"The hell is wrong with you," Wairo gasped. He looked up, daze. "Who are-wait, the Demon of Battle? The hell is wrong with you! You're a hero, and I'm a cop! We're on the same-"

Bakugo kicked the man in the gonads. Not too hard, he didn't want to kill him, yet, but hard enough to shut him up.

"You're no more a cop than I am a real hero," Bakugo hissed. "You know my name, I see. The Demon of Battle. Well. I'm your own personal devil now. Because man, you done messed up. And now I'm pissed."

"What...what is this?" Wairo gasped, curling up in a fetal position. "Why are you doing this?"

"He's not talking," Bakugo said, stepping back. "Come on. You get a turn, then I waste the bastard."

Uraraka stepped forward, taking out a combat knife from a holster on her leg, testing the blade on her finger and drawing a drop of blood. "Fine. I suppose it is your turn, anyway."

"What?" Wairo gasped. "You haven't even-why are you doing this? You're both heroes!"

"And you work for the yakuza," Uraraka said grimly. She knelt by Wairo, lowering the knife until it was poised above his nose, and his eyes crossed. "I think I should start with the nose. Soft tissues are easier to cut."

"No, start with the ears. You cut off his nose, and he'll have a harder time talking," Bakugo advised.

"That's true," Uraraka agreed, and she reached out, grabbing Wairo's ear, hard. "I'll start here."

"WAIT!" Wairo squealed, and immediately wet himself. "I don't even-what are you talking about? Who was kidnapped?"

"You know, you son of a bitch," Bakugo snarled, crouching on Wairo's other side. "Your boss, Kai Chisaki, the man called Overhaul, kidnapped Izuku Midoriya. And you're just the first bastard we tracked down."

"What? I don't know anything, I swear," Wairo protested, trying to inch away from Uraraka as she brought the knife down.

"Bullshit! You're his mole on the force! We know everything you shitstain, and we're going to take your pound of flesh if you don't tell us where Izuku is!" Bakugo roared.

"I don't know! I swear to God I don't know!" Wairo sobbed. "But he's probably at the main safe house! In the underground complex!"

"Talk! Now!" Bakugo ordered.

And Wairo did talk. As it turned out, he knew a lot. He babbled about the location of the underground maze, beneath a large property the Shie Hassaikai owned. He told them about the drugs Chisaki was making. He even talked about a mad plan to remove quirks from the world with the drugs and some other secret scheme, using the girl Eri's strange quirk.

"And good riddance to them, I say!" Wairo snarled. "I'm quirkless, and it's bastards like you who drove me to this! I could have been an honest cop, but with no quirk I could never-"

"I'm really tired of listening to you bitch," Bakugo snapped. "Shut up."

"Well that's it then," Uraraka sighed. She holstered her knife and made a disgusted face. "Ugh. I am so not doing this with you again. Get Shinso to do it with you next time. I feel dirty just thinking of torture and it makes me want to puke more than my quirk ever does."

"What?" Wairo gasped, blinking. "You mean, you're not going to kill me or torture me?"

"Obviously not. We're heroes! We'd never do something like that," Uraraka said, her voice dripping with disgust at the very notion. "Right, Katsuki?"

Bakugo paused, halting the kick he'd been aiming at Wairo. "Um, right."

"Good. Because I know you're a better person than that. Even if he doesn't," Uraraka said. Then she reached out and pulled him into a kiss.

For a moment, Bakugo forgot about the fact that he was weak. He forgot that he'd failed again. He even forgot that his friend, the one person who'd always believed in him and tried to be there for him even when Bakugo was at his weakest and most despicable, Izuku Midoriya, was in mortal peril. He just experienced being with Uraraka all over again.

"God you're so hot right now," Bakugo rasped when they pulled a part.

Uraraka giggled. "What, does violence turn you on or something?"

"It makes me horny as hell. You can't say it doesn't do the same to you," Bakugo said.

Uraraka blushed and looked away, then looked down at Wairo, who was studying them with a conniving expression. "Ugh. What to do with him?"

"We can't let him go," Bakugo said. He considered something. "Well. Maybe we can."

"Yeah, of course, just let me go. I won't say anything, honest I-"

Bakugo slammed Wairo back to the pavement, kneeling on his chest. He pulled out a pill, holding it up. It was just a grunt candy, he carried those with him all the time now. The docs said if he took too much ibuprofen it was bad for his kidneys, but he didn't think he was gonna live that long anyway. "You know, Izuku Midoriya is the boyfriend of Mei Hatsume. And she's real pissed right now. You know who she is?"

"The inventor girl," Wairo panted. "The quirkless one, they both are. Listen, Chisaki wouldn't hurt those two. He likes them, wants them for his plan he-"

Bakugo grabbed Wairo's jaw, forcing it open and popped the pill in. Then he slammed the jaw shut and plugged Wairo's nose. The man swallowed reflexively.

"She's real pissed. And scary smart. You know what that pill was?"

Wairo went very, very pale, and shook his head.

"Hell if I do either," Bakugo said with a sigh, standing. "But I know this much: if you don't get the cure in 24 hours, well, even I would get sick at the sort of things Mei would do to someone to get Midoriya back."

"She's crazy," Uraraka agreed. "We'd better leave. If it kicks in too soon, I don't want to be around to see the effects."

"What was it!" Wairo demanded, gagging. "What did you give me?"

"Nanomachines or some shit," Bakugo said with a shrug. "Don't bother trying to puke it out. Enough are in your blood already. They'll eat you from the inside out when she sends the signal. They're already multiplying. Totally invisible to any form of detection. Shit's scary. I saw what it did to that MLA guy who threatened her family."

Uraraka shuddered. "Oh god, don't make me think about that. That was so gross! I mean, he deserved it, but come on. Next time just let me kill someone the normal way. You know, crush them or something or blow their head off."

"You can't do this to me!" Wairo pleaded, grabbing Bakugo's leg. "I have a family!"

"No you don't, dumbass. We looked up your file. You don't even have a goldfish," Bakugo said with a derisive snort.

"I'd just hope you gave us good information, honestly," Uraraka said with a shrug. "The nanomachines will pass out of your system in a few days if the kill switch isn't thrown."

"I mean, Mei did throw it already," Bakugo pointed out. "She's gotta remember to turn that timer off. Dead man's switch. Like I said, that girl is scary, and I'm sleeping with you."

"True. But you didn't lie to us, right Wairo?" Uraraka demanded. She smiled sweetly. "Because, while I am morally opposed to torture, killing scumbags like you who let little girls get tortured and kidnap my friends? Well, my track record on that is clear. Just ask Chikazuka."

"I'm sure you'll see him in hell if you led us wrong," Bakugo laughed. "Best hope my girl gets to you before Midoriya's. Because at least Ochako is quick. Mei? Not so much."

They left Wairo behind, weeping in a pool of his own blood and urine. Bakugo pulled Uraraka into a one armed embrace as they walked and kissed the top of her head. "You were so amazing back there. Better than Shinso ever could be."

"Yeah, I guess. But I still feel dirty. I really do think torture is wrong, Katsuki," Uraraka repremenaded, pushing him away. "Keep that up and I'm rethinking our arrangement."

Bakugo grunted. "Hari sorta killed that anyway, didn't she? But if you can think of a better, faster way to get the information out of people like him, you let me know. I don't like doing it either. But when we need a demon, I'm the one to do it. Better me than someone else."

"I can't," Uraraka admitted. "I thought and thought of a different way, but...well, it worked. I hope."

"Torture isn't the most reliable," Bakugo said with a shrug. "People will say stupid shit to get out of it. But when you have someone dead to rights like that, and you run out of options? It's better than nothing."

"Yeah. Ok. I guess. It's just," Uraraka bit her lip, looking behind them. "I still feel bad about it."

"Because you're a good person. Unlike me," Bakugo said with a shrug.

"Oh stop it already. I am far from a good person, and you know it. I'm just like you, in the end. After all, I did just help you torture someone," Uraraka said with a sigh. "And if I'm being honest with myself? I'm glad we did it. To save Izuku."

"Heads up," Shinso said in their ears. "Midnight's headed your way."

"Don't sweat it. We got the information," Bakugo answered, touching a hand to the radio. "Don't worry about Wairo."

"Why not?" Midnight demanded, popping around the corner to confront the two teens. "What did you do to him, Bakugo?"

"He's alive," Bakugo answered, meeting his teacher's gaze steadily. "And we know where Midoriya's at. There's a little girl there too. You will not believe the shit that Chisaki has been up to."

"What did you do?" Midnight repeated, glaring at Bakugo. "I did not bring you along just to torture the man! That is not how heroes-"

"It's done," Uraraka said quietly. "And we're running out of time. Are you going to lecture us, or are you going to help us save Izuku?"

Midnight paused, and a look of weary grief came over her. "Oh God, Uraraka. What have we done to you children?"

"Made us into the heroes we needed to be to survive, and to save our friends," Uraraka said, her voice determined. "I'm not just a sweet little doll like everyone seems to think." She held up her hand, which was now covered in scars, the knuckles sunken from repeated breaks during brawls.

Midnight sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "I told them you weren't ready. That no one was truly ready for what they asked of you." Their teacher opened her eyes and gave them a sad smile. "But I suppose it's too late for that. Well, at least the two of you have each other. I suppose Hari's ensuring you're not spending the night together?"

Bakugo found himself flushing. "Mind your own business!"

"You are my business, in case you hadn't noticed. But come. Time is wasting. Sir Nighteye has arrived and we're holding a quick conference to decide what to do."

They hurried back to UA, which wasn't far, meeting up with Shinso.

"Well?" he asked as he jogged alongside them.

"I'm not saying it twice," Bakugo snapped. "But we got what we need."

"You're certain he told the truth?" Shinso asked.

Uraraka shrugged. "If he didn't, he thinks nanomachines are going to eat him from the inside out. They won't, but I will find him and end his miserable existence personally. He helped Chisaki kidnap and torture a little girl, Shinso! Eri's been there for years, and Chisaki has been using her as a lab experiment the entire time! She's how they're making the drugs!"

"Drugs? But the MLA is- dammit." Shinso shook his head, gritting his teeth in anger. "Ok, explain when we get there."

They arrived at the UA main conference room, where most of the teachers had gathered, along with all of Class 1A, Mount Lady, Deadarms, Kamui Woods, and of course Togata and Sir Nighteyes.

Nighteyes was a tall, reedy man with green hair and glasses dressed in a gray suit. He was famous for being one of only two people to be taken by All Might as a sidekick: the other was Mirio Togata, who was Sir Nighteye's current protegee. His quirk was that of the oracle: he could see into the future, reading what would happen to anyone he used his quirk on.

"Well?" Nighteye asked as they entered.

"He talked," Bakugo stated, then quickly laid out everything that Wairo had told them.

"I see. You should have brought him back here so I could use my foresight on him," Nighteye said with a sigh. "I'd like to have known if he spoke the truth."

"Well use it on me then and see if we rescue Midoriya!" Bakugo snapped.

"You students will not be accompanying us," Nezu stated.

Before Bakugo and the rest of the class could explode, Mr. Aizawa spoke up. "The teachers, Sir Nighteyes, and Togata will be the ones to rescue Midoriya. The rest of you are too involved, and too green. I don't want a repeat of Feel Good."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Uraraka shouted, slamming her hands on the table. "I saw people dying! I killed a man, for the love of God! And now you think I'm too delicate, too inexperienced?"

"No! I mean I don't want my students crying themselves to sleep for another month!" Aizawa roared in response. "That sin is on my soul already! And I am not dragging you further into it!"

"Then why him?" Hari demanded. "Togata isn't much older than they are!"

"I'm the heir, not them," Togata said quietly. "And Izuku needs me. I...I had a talk with Mr. Aizawa and the teachers. They know now. I'm sorry, Hari. I have to go. I'm the strongest one there is. I wish I could tell the rest of you, but...I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you, but this isn't my secret to share."

"Yes," Nighteye said absently. He studied Togata. "I will look into your future, I think. To see if this is the right course of action."

Togata started. "But you said you never wanted to use your foresight on me! You said that-"

"I know. But this is urgent. And you are the best hope we have of saving Midoriya," Nighteyes said, resting his hand on Togata's shoulder.

Bakugo simmered with rage, glancing at Uraraka. She jerked her head at Mei. Mei's eyes were red, but she tapped her earpiece once.

"We will rescue Izuku," Mei's voice played in Bakugo's ear.

He grinned, looking around at his classmates, who nodded. Yeah, right. As if the teachers could leave them behind! They'd have to fight to-

"NO!" Sir Nighteye roared, stepping back from Togata, his face pale. "You...you can't go, Mirio. You must stay behind, this-"

"I'm going!" Togeta snapped back. "I couldn't save Gran Torino, but I will save Midoriya!"

"It will cost too much!" Sir Nighteye snapped. "You're the heir to a legacy now, you can't just throw that away!"

"What's the point if I can't save my friends!" Togeta shouted back, his eyes growing wet with frustration. "What's the point of being a hero if I don't even try?"

The room fell silent as Togeta and Sir Nighteye glared at one another. Finally, Bakugo decided he'd had just about enough of it. "Look, we're going. Obviously, you saw some bad shit."

"I see the future," Sir Nighteye said, not moving his gaze from Togata's. "It cannot be changed. But this time...this time it HAS to change. I saw through Togeta.'s eyes. He will see every one of these students die. He will see me die. Then, after all of that, he will see Japan itself crumble into the sea, and perish."

"Well, that's if we don't come," Bakugo pointed out. "So damn well change that. It's easy. We go with you, and get the nerd and the little girl out."

Sir Nighteye turned to Bakugo, frowning. "What I see cannot be altered so simply. It WILL happen. I must find a way to-"

"Oh screw that!" Bakguo roared. "My life ain't written in stone, old man! So fucking what, you saw Togeta die if we don't go? So you have us go with, and he'll be fine!"

"Foolish child! You do not understand!" Sir Nighteye snapped, slamming his palm on the table. "My visions are absolute! Midoriya is already as good as dead! There is no sense in sending Togeta to his doom and ours!"

"I do not care if the world is destroyed, we will rescue Izuku!" Mei screamed. "I will go by myself if I have to!"

"You won't go alone Mei," Togata swore, glaring at Sir Nighteye. "I'm not standing by and leaving Midoriya to die! None of us are!"

Sir Nighteye grimaced and shook his head. "This is your _destiny_, boy and you-"

"Oh shut up, you pompous ass," Hari snarled. "He's not a boy, in case you hadn't noticed! He's the strongest damn hero in the room! All these kids are heroes! Why the hell is it suddenly vital they sit out? You were willing enough to throw them at the MLA when their friend's life wasn't even on the line! Now you're ready to just let Midoriya die, not even try?"

"Screw destiny," Bakugo agreed, giving Nighteye a vicious smile. "And fuck fate! What, you think the future is set in stone, old man? Well then, doesn't fucking matter if Togeta goes or not, we're boned. So let's just go down swinging."

Nighteye swallowed, glancing uneasily at the teachers. "What I saw...it could happen to you, Demon. What are you willing to sacrifice to save your friend?"

"Everything," Bakugo growled, leaning forward and slapping the table before Nighteye, causing a puff of smoke and leaving a burn mark. "If you think I'm going to let some horseshit vision determine my future, you're wrong. If Togeta staying behind can change things, so can us going. I'd like to see you try to stop us all."

"We will save Izuku," Mei repeated, and the rest of Class 1A nodded.

Mr. Aizawa looked sick. "This is going to cost you. Cost all of us."

The room stilled, and Bakugo felt his heart beat faster. Not out of fear. But out of eagerness. "So you're not going to stop us then? We're gonna fight?"

"Yes," Sir Nighteye said wearily. He looked up at Bakugo frowning. "Are you truly so eager to rush into danger?"

"I owe Midoriya a debt. As long as I haven't repaid it, I'm still weak. If I want to be strong, I have to save him. That's what heroes do," Bakugo declared.

Nighteye slowly nodded. "You...all of you, would do anything to save your friend? You are certain?"

"You're damn right I would!" Bakugo repeated.

.

"We all would," Uraraka agreed. "We're Class 1A. We don't leave our friends behind."

"We will save Izuku!" Mei declared. "You can't stop us!"

Aizawa looked pained, as did the other teachers. "This is the only way?"

"The only way," Nighteye agreed, resting his head in his hands.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Bakugo demanded. "Let's waste these bastards and get Izuku back!"

"Not so fast," Nezu cautioned. "We need a plan of attack. And before you give me some trite cliche about having a plan, 'attack,' keep in mind we need to now both rescue Midoriya and this girl Eri. So we plan this out, carefully. And then we move in."

Bakugo growled, but controlled himself, and listened as Nezu outlined their plan. He was going to save them all this time. He was going to prove he was the strongest hero, and repay his debts. This time, Katsuki Bakugo would become a hero.


	58. Finding Strength

_Finding Strength_

_Achilles glared at him and answered, "Fool, prate not to me about covenants. There can be no covenants between men and lions, wolves and lambs can never be of one mind, but hate each other out and out an through. Therefore there can be no understanding between you and me, nor may there be any covenants between us, till one or other shall fall."_

_-Homer, the Illiad_

Cold air filled Bakugo's lungs, and his breath misted before him. Snow was falling slowly out of the low clouds in the night sky. The air was soft and silent, save for the soft crunch of combat boots on the rooftop.

"In position," he growled into his mic as Uraraka crouched beside him behind an air conditioner.

"What do you see?" Nezu's voice demanded.

"Two guards visible," Bakugo answered, looking down at the courtyard below through the binoculars he'd been issued. It was a large area, set up like a traditional japanese mansion. At one time, the Shie Hasaikai must have been wealthy. Well. Not for much longer.

"I've got four more inside the building," Uraraka whispered, looking into her infrared scope. "They're playing a game of some sort I think; they're all sitting around a table."

"Very well. Hagakure, move in," Nezu ordered.

"Ok. Man, I am glad Mei made me this suit out of my own hair! I'd be freezing here otherwise," Hagakure commented.

"Cut the chatter! Those thugs hear you and invisibility won't save you from all the lead they'll put in the air," Aizawa ordered.

Hagakure hushed, and Bakugo shifted restlessly, watching down below for signs of a disturbance, but nothing happened.

"Want a look?" Uraraka whispered, offering Bakugo the infrared scope.

"No, you watch. Let me know if something's up," Bakugo told her. "I trust you."

"Ok." Uraraka moved closer to him, huddling up against Bakugo to ward off the cold. He rested an arm around her, enjoying her closeness. It had been a wild ride over the past couple of weeks since Feel Good Inc. Aside from that first night, they'd been able to find time to spend alone together. Hari had been too distraught to do more than cursory bed checks, and the medication she was on made it hard for her to wake up in the middle of the night. They'd had to be cautious, they'd had to be careful, but Bakugo didn't think any of the others really knew what they were up to. Which was fine by him.

"She's in the building," Uraraka said quietly. "Get ready."

Bakugo pulled his arm away, but Uraraka leaned in and kissed him on the cheek quickly. "Luck."

"Don't need it. I've got you," Bakugo answered, his eyes fixed on the guards below. One was smoking, the other talking quietly. They didn't seem to know something was up.

"The mahjong players are down," Hagakure said quietly. "Midnight's gas bomb worked perfectly, Mei. Going to the ones outside."

"I hate this stealth shit," Bakugo grumbled as they looked on.

"It's our best hope for getting Izuku back safely, and rescuing Eri too," Uraraka said gently, but then she nodded. "I wish I could just run in and bust some heads too. To think of what they're doing to that little girl…"

"Just don't go killing anyone before I do," Bakugo said with a shrug. "I don't want your kill count getting that much higher than mine."

"I'm not going to just start killing people, you maniac," Uraraka teased, but then gasped. "They see her!"

One of the guards had suddenly straightened pointing to the snow on the ground. Through his binoculars, Bakugo could see footprints left by Hagakure. There was sudden, violent motion, snow spraying and yelling, and one guard clutched his stomach. The other scrambled for a radio, but a series of invisible blows had him on the ground. The other tried to use his quirk, but it failed.

"Got him," Aizawa shouted. "Go!"

A few more blows, and then both guards were down, snow slowly falling onto their bodies.

"Guards are taken out! Move!" Hagakure called.

"That's our cue," Uraraka said, jumping on Bakugo's back. She touched him, and the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. He jumped down, using only small explosions to steer them. They landed in the courtyard, running up to the door.

"We good?" Bakugo asked the air, assuming Hagakure was nearby.

"Yeah, I think so," Hagakure answered. "He didn't get a call off. Shinso, you got the cameras, right?"

"They're down," Shinso confirmed. "But it's going to look awfully suspicious pretty fast. I just cut the feed, we don't have access to play a loop or anything fancy."

"Then we move fast," Bakugo growled. "Togata! Make a hole!"

A blur of motion behind Bakugo turned into Togata slamming into the door into the main building.

"Move in!" Nezu ordered, and all around the compound, the UA teachers and Class 1A attacked.

"Let's go!" Bakugo roared, stepping into the building behind Togata.

"Sir Nighteye says it's this way," Togata said, hurrying straight towards a back room. Around the house, sounds of battle broke out as sleeping yakuza awoke, and alarms began to blare. However, the way into the underground passage was unguarded, and Togata phased right though the hidden entrance. A moment later, it popped open as he activated the switch on the other side.

"Still with us Toru?" Uraraka panted as they dashed down the stars.

"All the way!" the invisible girl agreed. "Lead the way, Togata!"

"Slow down, you kids are supposed to wait for us," Cementoss' voice called after them.

"Keep up with us, old man!" Bakugo snarled, taking the stairs three and four at a time.

Below them, a door slid open, and armed thugs appeared.

"Heroes!" one gasped, raising a hand. Needle-like hairs shot out of his palm at the group, but Bakugo leapt forward and leashed a wave of explosions as he ran forward. The hairs were vaporized, and the thugs fell back into the hall at the onslaught.

"Keep going, Togata!" Uraraka shouted. "We'll handle these jerks!"

One scar faced brawler laughed. "What are you gonna do little g-URRF!"

Uraraka's open palm connecting to his nose ended that discussion, and the scarred man spun through the air, careening off walls as gravity abandoned its hold on him.

Using small, controlled explosions, Bakugo battered away at the remaining thugs. He had to be careful, here underground, as an uncontrolled explosion could lead to a collapse, cutting off their way forward and their chance to rescue Izuku.

"I'm moving ahead," Hagakure said softly over the radio. "I'll scout out where the thugs are and where Izuku could be. If I run into trouble, I'll break contact and move back."

"Go," Bakugo snapped, dodging a blow from one of the Yakuza. He tossed the man to the side, where Uraraka grabbed him and kneed him in the stomach. She blocked a blow from another man, falling back slightly, which let Bakugo flank the man, unleashing a blast beside his ear. The man fell, clutching at his head, and Uraraka delivered a swift kick to his chin. He collapsed, unconscious.

"There you are!" Cementoss said, hurrying through the door. "You kids need to wait for the teachers! We're supposed to take point."

"Sorry Mr. Ishiyama, but we're not waiting for anyone. Izuku's and Eri's lives are on the line," Uraraka stated, and hurried forward, Bakugo at her side.

"We good?" Bakugo asked, glancing at her.

"We're good," Uraraka agreed, spitting bile to the side. "Release!"

There was a distant thud, and Bakugo nodded. She'd kept that up for a while. They passed the battered and unconscious thug a few dozen meters ahead around a turn, Cementoss panting as he hurried along.

"I'm not built for speed," he muttered. "I'm getting too old for this."

"Aren't you not even thirty yet?" Bakugo demanded.

Cementoss grunted. "True. But I took some hard hits as a pro. My knees aren't all they were."

"If you're hurt, stay behind and don't slow us down," Bakugo ordered. "The aid station should be set up above."

"Bakugo!" Mei's voice suddenly called. "Togata's in trouble! He fell down a trapped hallway. Looks like one of the yakuza member's can manipulate the walls and floor!"

"Is he alright?" Uraraka asked.

"He's ok, fighting against someone calling himself Rikiya. He's supposed to be able to absorb life essence from the files I have," Mei explained.

"Does he need backup?" Cementoss asked as the ground began to shudder and shake. Togata must be going all out for that to happen.

"He says he's fine! Keep moving forward and find Izuku! Sir Nighteye says he's in Eri's room, so they should be together," Mei told them.

Cementoss nodded. "Right. Well, I'll handle the one who thinks he can manipulate the walls around us. That sounds like Irinaka, the Mimic."

"Whatever, that runt can't stop us!" Bakugo roared, and charged ahead. He hadn't gone far when the floor seemed to shudder and move, and the walls buckled and bent as the ceiling closed in on them.

"Not so fast!" Cementoss cried, planting his hands and feet against the floor and walls. The cement walls and floor buckled and smoothed, then expanded outwards for a moment, only to bunch and try to roll back.

"Go!" Cementoss groaned. "I can feel him in the walls here! I'll keep the way open, the others are just behind us. Move!"

"Thank you!" Uraraka cried as they ran on. "We'll get them, don't worry!"

"I think I found Izuku," Hagakure reported. "There's a cell, with two guards outside; a big guy and a little one. I've backed off for now, they didn't see me."

"Right! We'll take them out!" Uraraka said, grinning and bringing her hands up to activate her quirk.

Bakugo laughed, sparks flying from his fingers. "Those bastards don't stand a chance!"

"They hear you coming, get ready! I'll move ahead to hit them from behind," Hagakure told them.

"FINALLY SOME ACTION!" a voice roared, and around the next bend a massive man with arms like tree trunks wearing an odd, bird like mask appeared. "I'm Rappa the Strong Arm, one of the Eight Bullets, and I-"

"You talk too much!" Uraraka said, slapping Bakugo on the back to make him weightless.

He launched himself into the air, using blasts to kareen off the floor and ceiling while he created blinding flashes of light and the deafening sound cascaded down the corridor. Rappa took a step back in shock, and Bakogo put both his hands before him, letting fly with a massive blast at the big man's head, just as Uraraka dove low, swiping her open hand at his feet.

The blast, however, reflected back in Bakugo's face, and sent him spinning out of control back down the corridor. Uraraka cried out and flung herself back just as one of Rappa's fists slammed down where she had been, cracking the concrete floor.

"Gahh! Dammit, Tengai! I don't need your damn shield to deal with brats!" Rappa roared.

Bakugo got shakily to his feet with Uraraka's help, his body aching from the unexpected impacts. A glowing barrier had appeared around Rappa, and another man stepped forward, this one of average height but with the same beaky mask.

"You are the sword, I am the shield," Tengai said, rubbing at his mask. "We must deal with these intruders. Their quirks are strong; do not underestimate them. They are the so-called Pillars of Peace."

Rappa slammed his fists together, eagerly moving towards Bakugo. "Yeah! You're the one they call the Demon of Battle! Let us fight, man to man! I'd prefer to do this without quirks, but we have yet to achieve our perfect world! So it's quirk against quirk, man against man!"

"Oh what, you just forget about me," Uraraka sniffed, wiping a trickle of blood off her nose.

Bakugo spat blood and phlegm to the side, grinning wickedly. "Oh you're in for it now, asshole. She hates it when people think she's weak!"

"Ha! What's a little girl like you going to do to me? Even if you could get through my barrier, you could never harm me," Rappa bragged.

Behind him, Tengai let out a soft groan, and slumped over, an invisible girl catching him and dragging the barrier creator silently away.

"Really?" Uraraka asked. "Let's just see about that."

Rappa barreled forward, and Bakugo backed off, ready to support Uraraka if she needed it. At first, it looked as though she would meet Rappa's charge head on, but at the last moment, she spun to the side, slapping his arm as it whistled past her face. Rappa lost his footing, floating off into the air. He smashed into the ceiling, but then bounded off the floor, headed back for Uraraka.

"Nice trick but it won't save you!"

"Now Katsuki!" Uraraka said, using her quirk on herself and jumping over Rappa's dive.

Bakugo pointed both hands at where Rappa would impact, letting out a focused blast. Rappa was flung upward, and Uraraka expertly slammed both fists into the back of his head in a double handed overhead blow.

"Release!"

Both fighters fell back to earth, Rappa in a crumpled heap, Uraraka landing gracefully on both feet.

"Yeah sister!" Hagakure called. "Girl power!"

"You know it," Uraraka said, holding her fist out. A moment later there was an enthusiastic smack. "Now let's get Izuku out of there."

They found a key on Tengai, then opened up the prison. Inside, they found only one cell occupied, but it wasn't Izuku inside, but an ordinary looking young man.

"Heroes?" he gasped, looking up. He was damp, his clothes clinging to him, hanging off his body as if he'd lost a great deal of weight. "Oh thank God, someone was sent to rescue me!"

"Um, who are you?" Hagakure asked. "Do you know where Izuku Midoriya, Power Suit, is?"

"I saw him earlier. They...they brought him in to watch as they tortured me. They were trying to turn him, I think," the young man said, standing on shaky legs.

"Who are you?" Bakugo demanded. "Are you with the MLA?"

The man shook his head, bracing himself against the wall. "Those freaks? No, I'm Tarou Yamada. Weren't you sent to rescue me?"

Bakugo looked at Uraraka, but she shook her head. The briefing and plan didn't mention him.

"Mei, we have an issue," Uraraka said, putting her hand to her earpiece. "We've got a civilian, says his name is Tarou Yamada. What should we do with him?"

"What? Tarou Yamada? No, he's not Izuku or Eri. Leave him and go rescue Izuku already!" Mei ordered.

"Do you know where Midoriya is?" Bakugo demanded. "He's being kept with Eri, the little brat with the horn!"

Nezu's voice interrupted. "Secure him, and leave him for the evac team. He could be one of the yakuza that's fallen from grace, or a member of a rival organization. Don't let him go until we've had a chance to verify who he is!"

"Her? Yes, I know her. I think I can lead you there," Yamada said.

"Negative, he says he knows where Eri and Izuku are being kept. We're bringing him with us," Hagakure said, and clicked off her radio when Nezu tried to argue.

"Can you walk?" Bakugo growled.

Yamada took a couple of uncertain steps out of his cell, then gained confidence. "Yes. I was only here for a few days. I think. I don't know, time passes funny here. Come on, it's this way." He took off running, and the three young heroes followed him.

"We've got a problem," Cemementoss' voice gasped over the line. "The way back is blocked! I've captured Mimic, but he managed to collapse the hallway. And I'm too spent to clear it just yet."

"I'll get there and we'll clear it," Power Loader said. "We're still fighting up top though, could be a few minutes."

"I think Mina and I can handle it if we get there," Kirishima said. "We'll break contact and head down. Denki, Kyoka, cover us!"

"We'll keep moving forward," Uraraka replied. "We'll find Izuku and Eri. Togata, how are you doing? I don't feel anymore earthquakes."

"Fine," Togata's voice gasped. "I put Katsukame down. He was on that Trigger Variant. Be careful! They're taking their own drugs to fight us off. I'll use my permutation and get out of this dungeon I'm in."

"It's just ahead," Yamada said, pointing. "But the door will be locked."

"That is so not a problem!" Bakugo cackled.

"I'll stay back, there's sure to be more yakuza, and I'm not much of a fighter," Yamada stated.

"Can you use your quirk to protect yourself?" Hagakure asked.

Yamada hung his head. "No. I'm quirkless. Sorry."

"Hey, don't sweat it. One of the world's greatest heroes is quirkless!" Uraraka told him.

"Yeah, once we rescue his ass! HOLD ON DEKU YOU DAMN NERD!" Bakugo roared, and barreled around the last corner.

"There they are!" a man with a hood over his head cried. "Come on! I'm hungry!"

He ran forward, mouth opening to an unnatural level. Bakugo and Uraraka slowed their step slightly, watching the two men who had remained behind at the door. The hooded man's mouth dripped saliva, and he leaned forward as if to bite at them.

Right up until he let out a grunt, his body comically folding over an invisible fist. He vomited, then Hagakure slammed her knee into his groin. With a final groan, her victim slid to the floor, gasping as his teeth chattered. A final kick to the side of the head from Hagakure ended his pain, at least until he woke up.

"Shit, they've got the invisible one with them," a gang member with a white face mask growled. He activated his quirk, and crystals sprouted all over the body. "Can you do something about that?"

"Let's see," his companion in a beaked mask giggled, his hands grasping forward. He suddenly frowned. "What?"

"YOU JERK!" Hagakure screamed.

The beaked man frowned, rubbing something invisible between his fingers. "What is this? I can't see-"

"THOSE ARE MINE, ASSHOLE!" the beaked man's mask shattered, and he let out a cry of pain. The crystal thug flailed his arms wildly, but obviously couldn't hit anything. Bakugo ran forward in the confusion, blasting the man in his face, crystals breaking. He went down with a groan, slumping on the floor.

"Can't believe this, that perverted sicko," Hagakure's voice muttered. "Now I can't even find them! Ugh! This is the problem with invisible clothes! Ack! Don't look, Bakugo! I'm naked!"

"Yeah, um, can't really tell," Bakugo said, blushing anyway and turning his back.

Uraraka suppressed a laugh, then banged on the door. "Izuku! Eri! Are you in there?"

"Ochako? Is that you?" Izuku's muffled voice replied.

"Oh the hell with this," Bakugo snapped, spinning about. "Stand back you damn nerd! I'm going to blow the door off its hinges!"

"Ok. Hold on a second," Izuku answered. "Ok. I've got the mattress over us. Go ahead."

"DIE!" Bakugo screamed, and let fly with his most powerful blast. The shattered, splinters flying back into the room. Bakugo smashed his way in, looking about wildly. "Where are you, Midoriya?"

"Here." Izuku popped up from behind a bed frame, tossing off a mattress coated in debris. He bent down and picked up a scared little girl with blue hair and a horn growing out of her forehead. "I've got Eri. Let's go."

"Do you have Izuku?" Mei asked frantically. "Is he OK?"

"We've got him," Bakugo replied. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Hey, where's Yamada?" Uraraka said, looking behind them.

"That son of a bitch ran off!" Bakugo snarled, looking down the empty hall

"Hey, relax. He led us to Izuku. And watch your language, Bakugo! There's a little girl here now!" Hagakure lectured.

"Fine. You find your panties or whatever?" Bakugo snapped. A moment later, he gasped in pain as something slapped his face. He glared around, but Uraraka was trying not to laugh, while Izuku was blushing and looking away.

"Yes," Hagakure sniffed. "Thank you for asking."

"Izuku, you stay between me and Katsuki," Uraraka ordered. "Keep Eri safe!"

"Ok. Sorry, guys. I guess I really messed up this time," Izuku said quietly.

"At least I got to fight some gangsters," Bakugo laughed. "And I suppose we got to rescue a little girl." He smiled at Eri as they headed back down the hallway. Not a scary smile, he hoped, but similar to the ones he gave Uraraka when they were alone together. She said she liked those.

It must have been the right smile, because Eri smiled back at him nervously. "Just be careful. Daddy's gonna be really mad."

"Yeah well I hope so. I'll kick his damn ass when we find him," Bakugo growled.

"I'll scout ahead," Hagakure said. "I'll let you know if anything comes your way."

They jogged forward for a few minutes, until Hagakure's voice came over the radio. "Ok, something's wrong. The corridors don't run the way they did before. What's going on?"

"We're trying to clear to you guys," Kirishiima grunted over the line. "But the passage doesn't go straight and there's all these turns. That Mimic bastard messed things up somehow."

"We'll find our own way out," Bakugo snarled. He looked down a side passage, and pointed. "Come on. This way. We have to keep moving before they find us and cut us off."

"You sure?" Uraraka asked.

"No, but it beats standing around and waiting," Bakugo told her, then stalked down the corridor, the others following.

They hadn't gone far when they heard footsteps pounding ahead, and Bakugo motioned them to hide in a nearby room. They opened the door and ducked inside, watching the passage.

A moment later, Togata jogged into view, looking much the worse for wear. His costume was torn, and he was clutching his side, his breathing ragged.

"What the hell happened to him?" Bakugo muttered. Wasn't he supposed to be strong or something? "Hey Blondie, over here!"

Togata looked around, then smiled when he saw them. "Midoriya! You're alright!" he hurried over, bending down to smile at Eri. "And this must be the princess we've been sent to rescue! Greetings, your royal highness."

Eri giggled, pointing at her horn. "I'm not a princess. I'm a unicorn!"

"I can see that! But sometimes, unicorns are princesses too!" Togata said with a smile. He stood up, frowning. "Are you headed that way? That's not how to get out, it's a stair down to the pit traps or whatever they are."

"Dammit. Well, at least we found you," Bakugo muttered. "We'll have to-"

"There you are."

The group spun to see Kai Chiaski stalking forward, flanked by Kurono and a man who staggered as he walked, carrying a bottle of sake.

"I am starting to grow very, very angry with you, Eri." The little girl let out a squeal and hid her face in Izuku's shirt. "I'm disappointed in you, Midoriya. I thought you'd understand. Yet here you are, with the very boy who tormented you for years. Shouldn't you fight back against him, want revenge?"

"I'd rather show forgiveness and mercy," Izuku said, taking half a step back and turning his body to shield Eri, exposing his defenseless side. "Bakugo isn't my enemy. You, on the other hand, are."

"So be it," Chisaki said, taking off his gloves one finger at a time and throwing them to the side. "We end this here, now."

"Get Eri out of here," Bakugo told Izuku, stepping forward. "I'll-"

"No. This is my fight," Togata said, shoving Bakugo out of the way. "You three get to safety. I'll handle this."

"Oh, will you?" Chisaki chuckled. He ran forward, swiping his hands at Togata.

And Togata...moved. It was unlike anything Bakugo had ever seen. He used his permutation quirk, falling into the floor and popping out, but then he moved so fast Bakugo couldn't even keep track of when he was going permeable and when he wasn't. Despite the narrow confines of the corridor, Togata was everywhere, his fists slamming into Chisaki.

But no matter how much damage Togata did, Chisaki recovered nearly instantly, his quirk remaking himself. His hands darted after Togata, barely missing each time. One touch would be all it took, but he never got that, despite Togata's already apparent injuries.

"What is he?" Bakugo gasped as they were forced to duck into a doorway for shelter. Fragments of stone and metal were peppering the hallway, and Bakugo winced as one bit into his cheek when he peaked out.

"He's the Heir to All Might," Uraraka whispered, peaking around the doorframe. "It's like he has the same quirk!"

"I think he does," Izuku said, leaning back to shield the whimpering Eri from the debris. Then he started. "No! Kurono has a gun!"

"Oh relax, bullet's won't hurt Togata. He can go permeable and he's apparently super strong and tough. Let's go, he's got this," Bakugo said. But then, he remembered. Sir Nighteye's vision. The one that had ended in Uraraka's death.

"No! They have quirk erasing bullets!" Izuku cried, sounding panicked. "If one of them hits Togata, he'll lose his quirks!"

Bakugo swallowed. He didn't want it to be true, didn't want to admit that Togeta, someone he genuinely admired for his strength, could be so weak. "Don't be stupid, he-"

But then Togata slid out of the wall and vomited. Chisaki had been moving backwards, towards his companions. And now the one with the bottle cackled.

"You're drunk, you fool! Can't fight now, can you!"

Togata managed to roll away from Chisaki's hands, but Kurono was training the gun on him.

It happened without thought. Bakugo put his hands behind him, launching himself forward. Chisaki spun, hand coming up for Bakugo, but Bakugo blasted him, just as Kurono pulled the trigger. Chisaki was flung backwards, into the path of the oncoming bullet. It slapped into his back with a wet thump.

"NO!" Kurono wailed. "BOSS!"

Chasaki gasped and fell. His hand shot out, touching Togata as he hit the ground.

But nothing happened. Chisaki's hands brushed Togata's sleeve, then passed over it. Whatever Chisaki's quirk had been, it was now gone.

"This isn't right!" Chisaki wailed. "I was supposed to be the last! I was going to remake the world!"

Bakugo spat to the side, grinning as he stepped forward. "Well, now I'm going to remake your face."

"Die you monster!" Kurono snarled, and pulled the trigger. Another bullet shot out, but Bakugo blasted it away from himself.

"Not happening, asshole! I-" he stumbled, the world reeling. Crap! He'd gotten too close to the guy with the bottle, and now whatever had hit Togata was hitting him. The world spun and swam. He heard Uraraka scream, and Izuku yell.

Kurono raised the gun again. Not at Bakugo. At Togata. Despite his disorientation, Bakugo knew what he had to do.

The gun fired, and Bakugo threw himself forward. He tried to use his quirk, but he couldn't make it work. He could have tried to dodge, roll out of the way, but he gritted his teeth and slammed on top of Togata. He heard a wet thump, and pain blossomed in his shoulder.

And something went out of Bakugo forever.


	59. The Eve of Ragnarok

_The Eve of Ragnarok_

_The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter. _

_-John Steinbeck, East of Eden_

It was over. And it was all Izuku's fault. He sat on the ramp of the truck with the Ultra Armor in it, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The snow had stopped falling, but the air was chill as dawn lit the sky in muted winter colors. Flashing lights played across the churned ground as police swarmed over the area. They hadn't arrested any of 1A. Yet. Mei was hugging Izuku tightly, humming softly. Eri was snoring in his lap, having refused to be parted from Izuku. Mei didn't seem to mind sharing Izuku's attention with the young girl, which was probably for the best at the moment. Not even the police wanted anything to do with a girl who could make people vanish.

But Izuku's eyes couldn't leave the other couple huddled together. Bakugo was laying wrapped in a blanket, on the tailgate of an ambulance his eyes wide as he stared at nothing, unblinking. His head was resting in Uraraka's lap, and she stroked his hair as she whispered to him. There was a bandage around Bakugo's left arm, but the bleeding had been minor at best and the bruising slight. The damage, however, went far deeper. And the paramedics could do nothing.

Katsuki Bakugo. The boy who had made Izuku's life a torment for 10 years. The golden child, born with one of the strongest quirks in the world. He had always scored at the top of the class; academically, physically, and in popularity.

But some time in the past year, things had changed. True, Bakugo had scored at the top of the UA entrance exam. But Izuku hadn't needed to take any entrance exam, he'd gotten in on recommendation, his place given to him instead of needing to prove himself. Izuku had made a close friend, more, he'd found the love of his life. Bakugo had been rejected and ostracized.

Then came the Sports Festival. There, Izuku had triumphed, crushing even Bakugo at every turn. He'd made friends in the hero course before he even entered it. True, Bakugo had helped save Izuku at the summer camp. But then it had been Izuku who led the charge against the League of Villains to save not just Mei, but All Might. If anything, Bakugo had been his ally, even his follower. The media had labeled Izuku a hero. Bakugo was called a demon.

And now, the ultimate reversal: Bakugo had reached out to save Izuku. And in doing so, he had lost his quirk.

Izuku slowly stood, gently passing Eri to Mei.

"Izuku?" Mei asked, looking concerned, but quietly placing Eri's head against her shoulder.

"I'll be right back," Izuku promised. He walked over to Uraraka and Bakugo. She looked up, tears in her eyes.

"He won't say anything," she whispered. "Please, Izuku. You've known him the longest. Please. Help him."

A lump formed in Izuku's throat. When had they gotten together? Bakugo, the violent, ill mannered hooligan, and somehow captured the heart of the sweet, polite Uraraka? But then, she wasn't so sweet, nor so polite as she once had been. The trials they had endured had changed them all.

"Bakugo. Katsuki?" Izkuk said kneeling. "I...thank you. You saved me. Again."

Bakugo's eyes flicked up at Izuku, but then they lost focus, and he stared off into the distance again.

Izuku swallowed. What to say? What words could help?

And then he knew. Izuku stood, looking down at Bakugo and extending his hand.

"Young man. You too can be a hero," Izuku said, his voice suddenly strong and full of confidence.

Bakugo suddenly sat up. "What? How can you even say that?! You're the one who told me! Those bullets destroy quirks! How can I be a hero with no quirk! I'm nothing, I'm a weak quirkless nobody like-"

Bakugo's mouth slammed shut, and he stared at Izuku with dawning horror.

"Like me," Izuku said quietly. "Though I must say, you've got a hand up on me."

Uraraka snorted. "Izuku! That's terrible!"

Slowly, Bakugo reached up, his hand clasping Izuku's. With a grunt, Izuku pulled Bakugo to his feet.

"I'm sorry," Izuku said quietly. "It was my fault. You came to save me, and it cost you everything."

Bakugo glanced at his shoulder, where Uraraka's hand rested. "No. Not everything. Just...just my quirk." He managed to smile, tears coming to his eyes. "It was worth it. To save you, you damn nerd."

Izuku blushed and looked away. "I don't know. What I did was so stupid. I thought...I thought I could find a way to help Endeavor. To stop the MLA. To even...to even redeem Chisaki."

"Yeah. Well, that bastard got what was coming to him, and he'll get more soon," Bakugo said, looking over Izuku's shoulder at Eri.

"You should have let me kill them," Uraraka growled.

"No. You would have regretted that," Bakugo said with a sigh. "We all would have. What I did...I don't know. But I hope Togata is worth it."

Tears entered into Izuku's eyes. "Bakugo, I-" and then, Izuku did a very Mei thing. He stepped forward, and wrapped Bakugo in a one arm embrace.

Bakugo stiffened at first, then, slowly, he relaxed, his own arms wrapping around Izuku.

"Listen, um, we can be friends and all again, but, well, Ochako and I are sorta-"

"I love you," Izuku said, blinking back tears. He smiled, pulling away. "Like a brother, Bakugo. This is...I don't know. This is painful. But I hope...I hope we can have what we should have all along. Even if the price was too high."

"Oh shut up. You damn nerd," Bakugo hiccuped. "I-"

Bakugo suddenly stiffened.

"What?" Izuku asked, stepping back, frowning. "It's OK, I know you don't mean it as an insult now."

"She's here," Bakugo said through gritted teeth. "Why did they let her come here?"

"Katsuki Bakugo! What the hell do you think you were doing, crying to me on the phone!"

Izuku spun about to see Mrs. Bakugo striding towards them through the snow, her face flushed. She looked a great deal like her son save that she was abundantly and obviously female, for they had the same wild hair, determined expression, and manic gleam in their eyes. Despite the fact that he'd known her for over a decade now, she looked like she had hardly aged at all. Izuku suspected it was because of her quirk. She produced glycerin all over her skin, half of the quirk that Bakugo had inherited. His father could make small sparks. Combined, those two innocent quirks had created a potent weapon.

"Mom," Bakugo said, his teeth grinding together. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Well you scared the hell out of me, and your teacher did it again when he talked to me! I called a cab, your father has the car and he's away in Nagato for business! What is it that you couldn't say? I saw you beat up more villains, but did you really need to drag me out here to brag?" Mrs. Bakugo ranted.

"Mom, I-"

"Oh, hello, Midoriya. Guess we haven't spoken in a while. I have to say, for a quirkless runt, you did pretty good for yourself," she said, smiling at Izuku. She actually seemed to think she was being pleasant, but Izuku felt her words like a stab to the gut.

"Now speak up? What is it? Oh my God, Katsuki! Are you seriously crying? Knock it off! I thought I taught you better than that, people are watching and there's going to be cameras soon if there isn't already! Hero's don't-"

"Ma'am?" Uraraka said, stepping forward and putting herself between Bakugo and his mother. "Kindly shut the hell up. Please."

Mrs. Bakugo flushed. "What the hell is wrong with you, young lady? You're that Brawl girl? Hmph. Well, I suppose if this is about Katsuki dating you, I suppose you're worthy of my son but-"

"I said to shut up," Uraraka growled, stepping forward. "You can either do it, or I can shut your mouth for you. Which is it going to be?"

Mrs. Bakugo smirked. "Well, got a mouth on you, huh? Well, if you're going to date my son you'll learn-"

Izuku managed to block the blow before it connected with Mrs. Bakugo's face. He winced, shaking his hand out. Uraraka had clearly not been holding back in the slightest. Mrs. Bakugo had a look of utter shock on her face.

"Um, Mrs. Bakugo? You should maybe listen," Izuku said quietly.

"Hey, who's the rude lady?" Mei said, coming over. Eri was still slumped on her shoulder, snoring softly. "Be quiet! Eri is sleeping. She is very tired!"

Blinking, Mrs. Bakugo slowly nodded.

"Katsuki?" Uraraka said gently, putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him forward gently. "Can you tell her? Or should I?"

"Mom, I…" Bakugo swallowed, then blurted. "I'm quirkless."

"What? Don't be stupid, you damn well know you're not," Mrs. Bakugo said, recovering. "You've always bragged about your quirk! Christ, half of this is my fault for not reining you in earlier, but I-"

"His quirk is gone," Uraraka said firmly. "It was taken in the fighting."

"Like mine," Mei agreed. "The Mask took mine. The Glove man took Bakugo's with a bullet. It is different, but also the same."

Her mouth opening and closing, Mrs. Bakugo could only goggle for a moment. "No, that's impossible! You can't just take quirks!"

"I lost mine to the Mask," Mei said quietly. "I used to have a quirk. Not anymore."

"You're lying!" Mitsuki snapped, but her lip was trembling. She looked to Bakugo, her expression pleading.

He folded his arms over his chest. "I'm quirkless. If you're going to just reject me now, get the fuck out of here. I already have people who give a shit about me."

For a brief moment, Mitsuki looked like she was going to argue further. Then tears filled her eyes, and she darted forward, wrapping both Bakugo and Uraraka in her arms. "Oh God. Katsuki. I'm so sorry. Oh God. This is all my fault. I'm a terrible mother! I can't-" She broke down sobbing.

Izuku stepped forward. "Actually, it's-"

"Chisaki's," Uraraka said firmly. "Don't say yours, Katsuki. Or you, Izuku. The only one to blame managed to erase his own quirk. And he's going to jail for a very, very long time."

"Oh Katsuki," Mrs. Bakugo wept, her tears soaking into her son's hair. "I'm so sorry. If I had just...I don't know. Been a better mom. Not pushed you so hard. Maybe...maybe you'd still be strong."

"No." Bakugo pulled himself away from his mother and Uraraka, standing alone in the cold. He pointed to Izuku. "You think he's weak?"

Mrs. Bakugo glanced at Izuku. "Well, no, not anymore. He did win the UA Sports Festival, and, well, you've all stopped so many villains and Midoriya always seems to be at the center of it. He's hardly weak."

"Well guess what. Now I'm just like him." A feral grin covered Bakugo's face. "So, if anything, I'm stronger now. Because God only knows Izuku's been stronger than me for a long time. Guess now I've finally caught up."

"Bakugo, I-" Izuku swallowed. "You can have the Ultra Armor. The Power Suit. Whatever you need. Right, Mei?"

Mei nodded, stepping close to Izuku so that he could put his arm around her shoulders. "You saved Izuku. You can have any of our babies." She looked down at Eri. "It seems we have a new one to take care of, anyway."

"No." Bakugo shook his head, frowning. "That's your way. Not mine."

"So, what? You're just giving up?" Uraraka demanded. "I don't accept that! You can't tell me you're going to just lay down and die, Katsuki! You can't leave me! What about us?!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Bakugo roared. "But I'm not a damn nerd! I won't be piloting some stupid robot!"

Mei swelled up in outrage, but a squeeze from Izuku caused her to deflate, though she started to mutter angrily under her breath until Eri stirred. Then Mei began to hum again, and Eri smacked her lips and lay still.

"Look, I don't know what I'm going to do yet. Not really," Bakugo admitted. "But I'll find my own way of being a hero." He reached out, pulling his mother forward. "And mom? I want you to meet someone special. This is...this is Ochako Uraraka. She's...she's the best person I know. And she's what makes me strong."

"Um, hi," Uraraka said, blushing. "Sorry I tried to punch you earlier."

Mrs. Bakugo studied Uraraka for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh, if you're going to be in this family, you're going to have to get used to some tough love."

Slowly, Izuku steered Mei away, walking her and Eri back towards the truck so that Bakugo could have his own private moment.

"I'm glad you're ok," Mei said, looking up at Izuku. "I was very scared. Now I know how you felt when the Mask had me. It was not fun. But we saved you. Just like you saved me."

"You did," Izuku said, gently kissing the top of Mei's head. "Thank you. I'll try not to do anything so stupid again."

"It is ok." Mei looked down at Eri, who was snoring softly. "I think it is OK, because now Eri is safe. I did not think human babies could be so cute, but she is nice. We should keep her."

"I don't think that's going to happen," Izuku said, smiling gently. "Eri's quirk is still dangerous. We'll have to find a way to help her, but she'll need to find a good home."

"Izuku...what about Bakugo's quirk?" Mei asked.

"I don't know. I guess it's gone forever just like yours." Izuku sighed heavily. "I wish we could get it back. Who knows. Eri's quirk is reversing time. Maybe we could find a way to have her help both of you. If you could both get your quirks back...well, that would be amazing. I still feel bad that you lost yours."

"I don't mind so much anymore," Mei said as they settled down on the ramp again. She leaned up against Izuku, humming softly to Eri. After a few minutes she stopped. "Izuku?"

"Yes, Mei?"

"Don't be mad at me."

"Mei, why would I ever be mad at you?" Izuku asked, puzzled. "I know you guys probably did a few illegal things to rescue me, but well, I'm starting to realize that maybe the world is more broken than I thought."

"We did, I think. I'm not sure. I am not very good at rules," Mei admitted.

"I know. I think that's probably a good thing. I'm a little too good at following them," Izuku laughed.

Mei nodded. "Yes. But, Izuku, I lied to you."

That hurt, more than Izuku thought it would. "I...well, I'm glad you're telling me, Mei. It hurts that you thought you couldn't tell me the truth, but I understand. I've probably lied to you before and it was wrong of me."

"Yes." Mei sniffed, a tear trickling down her cheek. "The Rice CRISPR is finished."

That baffled Izuku for a moment, then he nodded slowly. "You mean your gene sequencer? Did Togata have All Might's quirk? I'm starting to think he did give it to him."

"Yes, but that is not what I am talking about. Do you know what a CRISPR is, Izuku?"

"Well, it's a gene sequencer, right?" Izuku asked.

"That is part of it, yes. It is the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats," Mei said by way of explanation.

Unfortunately for Izuku, it did not clarify what Mei meant. "Um, Mei, let's just assume that you're having to explain this to Denki."

Mei nodded. "DNA is like legos, but it is what makes people instead of toys."

"Um, maybe like you're explaining it to Kyoka," Izuku interrupted.

"The CRISPR allows you to edit the human genome by designing specialized viruses that implant the desired genes into the target site," Mei said.

For a moment, Izuku didn't quite understand. Then he did.

"Mei! That's incredible! You could-"

"Shh," Mei hushed as Eri sniffled and stirred. "I think so, yes. But I am not very good at biology. We will need lots of rats."

"Rats?" Izuku asked, confused.

"Yes. I do not want to give Bakugo a virus that will hurt him. We will need to do testing," Mei explained.

"That's wonderful! You're amazing Mei, you and Bakugo can both get your quirks back! And Ragdoll too!" Izuku said excitedly, keeping his voice low.

Mei frowned, looking up at Izuku. "Maybe. It will be hard. But I do not know if I want mine back."

Izuku felt as though a hand were squeezing his heart. "Why? Is it because of me?"

"It was, a little bit," Mei admitted. "You said you loved me without my quirk."

"Mei, I meant, I meant that I still loved you. Even if you lost your quirk," Izuku said, feeling ashamed. "I didn't mean…"

"I understand now. I am sorry. I am still learning social skills," Mei said. She snuggled up tighter to Izuku, reaching up to touch his stump. "But this, this is how I know you love me."

Then she touched her eyes. "And this is how you know I love you. Besides. Would you want me to give you a quirk?"

Izuku was dumbstruck. They sat alone for a long time as the police and other emergency workers continued to work. As the sun came up, the clouds parted, and the rays of a new day washed over Izuku.

"No," he said at last, looking back at the Ultra Armor. "You made my quirk for me. I don't want another one."

Mei touched the goggles that were perched on her forehead. "And you made mine."

**The End of Book 2**

_Authors Note:_

_This is the end of Book 2 of Rejected Stones, but it's not the end of the story. The final part of the story of Izuku and Mei's journey to become the world's greatest heroes will come in Book 3, where they face down the Meta Liberation Army for the final time, and Japan is rocked by conflict that will determine just what it means to be a hero. Thanks for sticking with the story this far. It's been quite the journey up to this point, and we're just about to the end. The story will return at the beginning of next year, with a couple of chapters in December that will go over just what the Meta Liberation Army is up to, and how Japan is faring with Endeavor locked away, and Class 1A and Togeta's reputation in tatters. _

_If you have the time, please let me know what you think think of the story so far. What elements of it did you enjoy, and what parts didn't work for you. Feedback like that helps me improve as a writer, and helps me write even better stories. And, hopefully it will help me end Rejected Stones in a satisfying manner. _

_Thanks for reading and reviewing_

_Full-Paragon_


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